


Fight for the Soul

by soulmetalfairy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gladiators, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Kidnapped Dean Winchester, Protective Castiel, Protective OC, Spells & Enchantments, binding spells, winchester troubles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 23:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8509990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: During a hunt for a witch Dean is kidnapped. Before he disappeared, one of the witches casts a spell on the brothers, and if causes some rather odd side affects. With the held of some old friends, and the angel Castiel, Sam starts to search for his brother. However, side affects soon pose a problem as the spell begins to take a toll on both brothers.





	1. Separation

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know hoe I got this idea, it just came to me one day. I hope that you'll like it, and comments are appreciated. None of the characters except for the oc's are mine I just play around with our favorite Winchester brothers. Enjoy!

Sam remembered a flash of blue lightning. He remembered a pain beyond anything he'd ever felt before. He remembered hearing his brother screaming his name as he crashed to the floor. Then there was nothing. It was dark when he finally came to again, and he was unable to remember where he was. His eyes swam in the darkness as they tried to land on something that wasn't black. It made him feel sick to his stomach as he tried to find something to look at that would tell him where he was.

'' Sam. Can you hear me?'' That voice. That voice was familiar. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't place it. '' Sam?''

'' He was hurt pretty badly. Maybe he's still out of it.'' A second voice suggested, this one also familiar, but it belonged to a female. Sam fought to open his eyes, fought to open them to see who was here with him.

'' His eyes are opening.''

'' Sam, can you hear me. It's me, Ashley, you know me.'' Ashley... Yeah, Sam knew her. She was a fellow hunter. '' Sam. Open your eyes.'' He fought harder again, and this time he was able to get them open. This time he saw light, a soft light that belonged to one of the many lamps that littered the bunker that he and Dean were calling home. At first all he could see was the light, but soon his eyes adjusted to show him the outlines of two figures standing beside the bed he was laid out on. One of them was clearly Ashley. No one had those kind of Doe eyes like the ones she had, and they were trained on his form. It didn't take him long to recognize the other figure. It was clearly Castiel, because there was no missing that trench coat that he always wore. '' Sam?''

'' Ashley... Cas.... What are you doing here?'' Sam asked, realizing that his voice was hoarse. He must've been out for awhile for it to be that bad, yet he still didn't know what had happened to him.'' What happened?''

'' Sam, do you remember what happened?'' Ashley asked, choosing to sit on the edge of the mattress. Sam felt it dip with her weight, but it didn't dip far.

'' I....... I remember a flash of light.'' Sam said. '' There was a hunt.... A witches coven, and we....Dean and I were going after them.'' Something struck Sam. '' The flash.... Dean was there with me, he...... He was trying to push me away............ Where's Dean?'' Sam asked. Ashley's face sunk at the question, and her eyes drifted back to the angel standing beside the bed. '' Ashley, where's my brother? Where is Dean?'' Sam asked again.

'' Sam, Cas got my help to find you and Dean.'' Ashley started. '' We did find you, but..... we couldn't find your brother.'' She said. '' We can't find Dean.''

'' What?... What do you mean?'' Sam's stomach sank, and a cold hopelessness sank into his chest. This could not be happening now.

'' Sam.'' Cas spoke up, and Sam looked up to the angel. '' Dean's been kidnapped by the witches.''

Two things happened in the next passing seconds. The first one was that Sam tried to deny what Cas was telling him.

'' You're lying. Where is Dean?''

'' Sam, we told you the truth. When we found you only you were there.'' Ashley said.

The second thing was that he tried to force his way off the bed, ready to retaliate.

'' Where is he.'' Sam demanded as he pushed off of the bed.

'' SAM!'' Ashley snapped. Sam felt himself loose control of his body as it was forced down onto the bed. For a moment he'd forgotten that the girl he was messing with was a still learning psychic. '' We're not lying. Please, believe us.'' She begged, her mind hold on him letting go.

'' Your brothers dropped off the grid. We don't know where the witches took him.'' Cas said.

'' So then.... He's just gone?''

'' We're so sorry Sam, but that's what happened.'' Ashley said. '' Thomas is already working on leads in the library, but so far he's got nothing, so we've got nothing.'' Sam threw his head back against the pillow. Dean was gone. The words kept racing through his head. Dean is gone, Dean is gone, Dean is gone.

'' We've got to find him.'' Sam said.

'' Why do you think Thomas and I are here?'' Ashley asked. '' We'll find him, but you're going to need our help. So let us help.'' Ashley said.

'' I've asked any of the angels who are still willing to help me to search for him. They haven't reported back yet, but they should be soon.'' Cas said. Sam shut his eyes tight, head swimming with the new information. His brother was MIA, and no one knew where he was. Sam knew Dean was in trouble, and he knew they had to get to him, but to do that they'd have to start searching now. He may have just waken up from what ever that witch did to him, but he needed to help Ashley and Cas. Dean needed to be found, and this was the only way.

'' OK then.'' Sam said. '' Where do we start?''

 

\---

 

 It was very dark when Dean's eyes finally opened up. At first he feared the worst, thinking that maybe he was blind, but soon his eyes began to adjust. His eyes revealed a dim room, one that was dark enough that he could only make out the outline of the walls. The walls were all plain, showing no sign of anybody ever being here. Where ever here was. He didn't even know where he was, and he didn't even know where Sam was.

Sam.

Oh God, Sammy had been with him. Panic spread in his gut as Dean remembered what had happened before he'd blacked out. He'd run into the lead witch of the witches coven. She'd begun chanting as Sam came up behind him. Then Dean had panicked, turning towards Sam to push him away. Dean couldn't let his brother be cursed again, not after the last time. He remembered shoving Sam hard on the chest, and then there was a bright flash. All he remembered after that was darkness, and the look of confusion that had been on Sam's face at the time of the attack. He needed to know where Sam was. Those witches must've taken him to, but if they had then where was he? Was Sam even here? For all he knew Sam could be dead, because he'd been caught up in the blast just as much as he had.

'' Sammy?'' Dean rasped, his voice hoarse when he tried to speak. Had he been screaming or something? Dean tried to move around to get off the floor, but found that he couldn't Something was bound tightly around his wrists, which were held behind his back. The bindings were tight enough that his hands were starting to feel numb,and rather cold. So he instead tried to push himself up with his legs, but all that did was show him that he was also bound at the ankles. So standing was out of the question at all. Dean looked around himself, searching for any signs of someone being in the room with him. He could barely see, so that proved to be useless. Dean figured that he must be laid out in the middle of the room. He wanted to get close to one of the walls. If he could do that then maybe he could find an exit door. '' Alright, here goes nothing.'' Dean pushed himself on his back, feeling the way his own hands dug into it, and the way his own weight made the appendages numb and cold. Dean bent his knees in front of him, and placed his feet against the floor. With one hard push he had himself moving across the floor. He only moved about a foot or two, but he did move.

Dean thought he was making progress, but his progress stopped after about five attempts when he felt something sharp cut into the side of his hand. Dean let out a curse, hissing in pain as something warm began to pool inside of his palm. He turned back onto his side, and felt the warm pool slide out of his hands. Dean knew he'd cut himself pretty good, because when he attempted to flex his fingers he felt the cut tug and pull painfully. He knew t was a cut stitch worthy, but there was no way he would be able to stitch it up like this. He'd just have to hope that it would heal properly until he could figure out where the hell he was, and figure out how the hell he was getting out of this mess. Dean laid his head back against the ground, his eyes closing in frustration. He began to let his thoughts wonder, trying to figure out just how the witches had even gotten here. While buried in his thoughts Dean noticed that something was pressing at the back of his mind. Dean listened closely to this, hoping it would serve up some answers, but all he found was more confusion. When he listened closely a flash of an image popped before Deans eyes. It was only for a second, but it was clear as day for that one second.

The image was one of Sam. He was clutching at his right hand where blood was dripping, and he could see Cas at his side. There were two other figures there, but he could only make out one of them. Dean immediately recognized her as being Ashley Zarola, a fellow hunter of theirs. Dean knew here quite well, but was confused as to why she'd be in this image. If this image was real, than it meant that Sam wasn't here with him, but if that was true then where was he, and was the image real or not? Dean thought for a moment, trying to figure out where the image may have come from, but found that his head was to foggy now to do so. He was being pulled back under by sleep. So Dean let his head lean against the ground, which was cool against his aching head. His eyes slid shut, and sleep claimed him for a second time as the darkness consumed him.


	2. Somethings Wrong

It had been maybe two days since Dean had gone missing.

Sam had been at it for the entire time, rarely sleeping in favor of helping Thomas and Ashley in their search. Cas had left not long after Sam had woken up to rendezvous with his intel, and so far they had heard no word back from him. Currently, Sam was bent over his laptop, surfing video feeds in the area where the witches had been when they'd tracked them down. Sam had some hopes that he'd be able to search back far enough to find them, and figure out where they'd taken Dean. He felt that he was getting closer, but as he went further and further he noticed small things starting to blur together. Sleep was pulling him under, and it was gnawing at the edges of his mind as he tried to keep his eyes open. He leaned closer to the screen to get a better look at what he was doing, but all that did was make things worse. Sam let his eyes drift shut for a moment, and then he felt a hand on his back. The touch caught him off guard as he pushed himself off of the table. He found that his laptop was no longer next to him, but was across the table in front of Thomas who must've picked up his search when he fell asleep.

'' You're toast Sam. You should try to get some sleep.'' Ashley said, her hand never lifting from his back. Sam cleared his throat, rubbing at his blurring eyes.

'' No, I can still keep searching.'' Sam argued.

'' Sam, I may just be learning my new abilitites, but that doesn't mean that I can't throw your ass back to your room.'' She said. Sam felt her hand move slightly on his back, resting at the base of his neck. '' I can tell you're worried about him. Sam, you can't help your brother if you don't try to get some sleep.'' She said.

'' If I go sleep will you leave me alone?'' Sam asked.

'' Only if you actually sleep.'' Ashley said. Sam sighed, hand running back over his face as he pushed himself away from the table. As he stood Ashley pushed a glass of water into Sam's hand. '' You haven't been hydrating either. Drink that.'' She said.

'' Yes mom.'' Sam said, taking a quick sip of the water.

'' Go get some sleep. We'll come and get you if anything changes.'' Ashley said.

'' Right.'' Sam turned away from her, ignoring how his vision darkened around the edges as he began to walk down the hall towards his room. It was a slow pace for himself, mainly because he was starting to realize just how unsteady he really was right now. His head was cloudy, and it was making his vision much worse than it normally was when he was sleepy. He passed Dean's room, a feeling of guilt pressing into his gut as he paused before the closed door. He felt like it was his fault that Dean was gone. He'd been the one to give the idea of splitting up in the first place, and now Dean was gone. He may have been beside his brother at the time of the attack, but those witches were targeting his brother at the time. They had been after Dean long before Sam showed up, and he must've still been the only target at the time. Sam took a step towards Dean's room, but stopped himself when his leg felt ready to give out. His vision swam for a moment, and the glass in his hand slipped from his grasp. It crashed to the floor, shattering at his feet. Sam stumbled forward after a moment, but his foot slipped on the water as he tumbled forward. His right hand fell into the pile of shattered glass, and one long piece shot right up into the side of his palm.

'' Son of a bitch.'' Sam cursed, pulling his hand back. There was already blood on the floor, and Sam could feel it soaking his palm as he reached to grab the glass shard that stuck out of the cut. He gripped it with a shaky hand, and pulled the shard free. He let the bloody shard drop to the floor with a clatter as he pressed his other hand hard against the wound.

'' Sam?'' There were footsteps behind him, and then someone entered his vision a moment later. '' What the hell did you do?'' Ashley carefully shoved the glass aside, and crouched in front of Sam to see into his eyes.

'' I..... I don't know.'' Sam said. He stared at the cut dumb founded, feeling both stupid and surprised with himself. Ashley had been right, he really was out of it right now. '' I fell I guess.'' Sam muttered as Ashley took his cut hand into her own.  She examined if for maybe a few seconds before pressing something against it. It hurt like the dickens, but Sam breathed through it as Ashley put pressure on it.

'' You'll need stitches after that one Sam.'' Ashley said. '' You cut yourself pretty bad there.''

'' Kind of figured that out.'' Sam said.

'' Alright, up you go.'' Ashley kept a hand on Sam's arm as he stood from the floor. She didn't trust how unsteady he was, and knew he'd have to conk out soon. Sam was rather out of it still, and she stayed pretty close as she walked with him the rest of the way to his room.

'' Ashley?''

'' Thomas, go get the first aid kit.'' Ashley shouted down the hallway at the sound of her name. '' Sam's going to need a few stitches.'' She said. She didn't get an answer back, but just hoped that Thomas had heard her. She directed Sam into his room. '' Alright, sit down.'' She ordered. Sam did exactly what she said, sitting on the edge of the mattress while Ashley crouched in front of him. She removed the bandana that she'd pressed to the cut, which was soaked with blood on the side that had been pressed to his hand. The cut was fairly deep now that she was getting a good look at it. Sam was lucky he wasn't loosing as much blood as it looked like. As she was examining the cut Thomas came running in with the med kit in hand.

'' Here, I brought it.'' Thomas said, handing the kit over when Ashley turned back to him.

'' Thanks.'' Ashley said, turning back to Sam as she opened it. '' Any news on the video feed yet?'' She asked.

'' Nothing so far. No witches, no Dean, no nothing.'' Thomas said. '' It just doesn't make any sense. You said yourself there was a camera outside the place where you found Sam. It should've shown something of them, but I can't find anything.'' Thomas said.

'' Maybe it was the witches doing.'' Ashley suggested, pulling out peroxide to pour over Sam's hand. She opened the bottle, and began to pour. The action elicited a painful hiss from Sam who tried to pull his hand back to himself, but he resisted the urge. '' Sam said he saw some sort of light before he woke up here. Maybe those witches cast some sort of spell.'' Ashley said.

'' Maybe.'' Thomas said. '' What ever they did it's messing with my search. I'm going to take it nation wide, see if I find anything.'' Thomas said.

'' You're just asking for night of no sleep aren't you?''

'' Oh yeah.'' Thomas answered as he stepped out of the room. Ashley just shook her head as she began to stitch up the cut.

'' Sam, you still awake there?'' She asked. She didn't receive an answer right away, so she glanced up to Sam. What she saw was him muttering something soft enough that she couldn't even hear him from where she was sitting. '' Sam?''

'' The spell.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Spell?... What about a spell?'' Ashley asked, resuming the stitches.

'' Those witches. They were casting a spell last time I saw Dean.... He tried to push me away when the spell was cast. Now we're in this mess.'' Sam said. He winced when he felt the tug of his own skin, and it made him a little sick to his stomach.

'' You better not spew chunks on me dude.'' Ashley warned. '' Because if you do, then you are totally finishing this yourself.'' She added.

'' 'm fine.'' Sam said, lifting his other hand to rub at his temple. His head was all fuzzy now. It was hard to keep his eyes open. He rubbed at them for a moment, trying in vain to clear them, but only seemed to make it worse. Sam groaned as he bent forward, hand pressing into his temples.

'' Sam?'' He didn't answer Ashley. Sam was to worried with what was happening to himself at the moment. Everything began to spin for a split second, and then Sam's vision went all together. It only lasted for a split second, but Sam could swear he'd seen something in that darkness. Something that looked like a room, and someone was inside of it. However, it was way too dark for him to tell who it was, or where he or she was. When his vision came back Ashley had a hand on his shoulder holding him up. He only realized then that he had threatened to fall forward onto her. '' Yeah, you're not OK. What the hell?'' Ashley asked.

'' I...'' Sam looked down to his hand, which was already half way stitched up. '' Honestly, I don't know.'' Sam answered. '' I saw something. Darkness.'' Sam said.

'' Darkness, you mean _The_ Darkness?'' Ashley asked.

'' No.'' Sam said. '' It was just dark. It looked like a room.'' Sam said.

'' A room? Why the hell did you see a dark room?''' Ashley finished up the stitches, and began to carefully wrap Sam's hand with gauze. '' Remind me when Cas gets back to take a look at that hand.'' She mumbled.

'' I don't know why I saw a dark room.'' Sam said. '' It was just there.''

'' It may have something to do with the spell those witches cast.'' Ashley said.

'' Maybe.'' When Sam's hand was wrapped, and Ashley had tied off the gauze, she stood from the floor.

'' Get some sleep. You're no good if you can't see straight.'' Ashley told Sam, gathering up all the med kits supplies.

'' Yes mom.'' Sam joked. Ashley sent him a wary smile, and then turned to leave. Sam waited until she was gone to stand and close the door to his room. When closed, he walked back to the bed, and fell into the mattress. He welcomed the feeling of his body sinking into the comfortable surface, and already felt himself starting to drift away to sleep. However, he found after about five minutes that he was unable to sleep. The picture from before, it just kept bugging him. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't place why. Sam rolled over onto his side, searching his mind for the photo again. He was able to remember what it looked like, and he ran through everything that he'd seen in that picture. He'd seen dark walls, lit by nothing at all. So no light was getting to this room. The only other thing there was the figure in the middle of the room. That figure was rather familiar to him, but he couldn't tell who it was. It was pulling at the back of his mind, making him think more and more about it. Sam knew it couldn't be him, but something was telling him that the person in the picture was actually Dean.

'' It can't possible be him.'' Sam mumbled to himself. '' Dean's not even here.'' Sam mumbled. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, it felt like he was lying to himself. Sam pushed it all away, and forced himself to close his eyes. It wasn't long before sleep tore him under.


	3. The Soul is the Window

The sound of something creaking before him was what woke him up. Dean cracked open sleep crusted eyes, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep for a few hours. His hand was still hurting, but something told him that it wasn't nearly as bad as what it had been made out to be before.

'' Wake up Dean Winchester.'' A female voice spoke. Dean didn't move, letting his eyes slide shut again in hopes of tricking her that he was still asleep. '' I know you're awake Dean. Now wake up.'' There was a hard kick to his face, and Dean couldn't help the groan of pain that passed when he rolled onto his back. He felt a steady stream of blood starting to flow out of his nose, and he wanted nothing more but to hold something to it till it stopped. 

'' Who the hell are you?'' Dean asked, looking up to the bitch who may have broken his nose.

'' Me?... I'm the witch who cursed you. You can call me Miranda.'' She said.

'' Curse?'' Dean questioned.

'' Yes. That flash you saw, remember?'' She asked.

'' Yeah, I remember all right.'' Dean said. '' You got Sammy too. Where are you holding my brother? Where is he?'' Dean demanded.

'' Sam Winchester is not of your concern.'' She said.

'' To hell with that. He's my brother, of course I'm concerned.'' Dean shot back.

'' If you must know, he's alive. We were unable to take him like we did you, but we also have our reasons for not taking him.'' She said.

'' What the hell are you talking about?'' Dean asked.

'' You don't know yet?'' She asked. '' You don't have any idea what that spell did to you do you?''

'' No.'' Dean answered.

'' You'll learn soon enough, but first you are going to learn why you're hear.'' Miranda said.

'' Enlighten me then. Where the hell am I, and what do you want from me?'' He asked. 

'' You, Dean Winchester, are going to be part of my army against The Darkness.'' She said. '' You are going to join the ranks of the other fighters I've assembled, and then we'll learn who is the strongest of you all. Who ever the strongest person is will be the one to survive.''

'' You're talking like you're raising gladiators.'' Dean said.

'' If that's what you want to call it.'' She said. '' You will fight to learn what your place is in my army, and you will do it for one reason only, and that is the spell that affects both you, and your brother.''

'' What does this spell do?'' Dean asked. Miranda smiled, crouching before Dean. She looked deep into Dean's eyes. and held up a hand.

'' There is a saying that a soul is like a window into a persons life, but they are so easy to toy with, so easy to tear up with just the right pulls.'' Dean felt rage blossom in his gut. Had this bitch seriously done what he thought she'd done.

'' If you laid a hand on my brothers soul, I swear I'll make you pay.'' Dean said.

'' Oh relax, his soul is in tact.'' She said. '' I've just made what some would call a link.'' She said.

'' What?''

'' A binding link between souls.'' She said. '' That light you saw, that was me reaching inside of you both, and tying your souls to each other.''

'' So what, you linked him to me, what does that have to do with any of this?'' Dean asked. Miranda snickered.

'' I've taken notice that your hand's been cut, and from the looks of it there's not a single thing in this room for you to cut your hand on.'' She walked around to Dean's back. '' There are small puncture wounds around the cut, and it seems to have knitted itself together while you were asleep. A remarkable recovery for someone who can't even tend to his own wounds.'' She commented.

'' So what?''

'' That bloody nose of yours must hurt, but have you noticed by now that its stopped bleeding?'' She asked. Dean suddenly took notice of this, and did fine that the blood that had been flowing through his nose had indeed stopped. It was nothing more than a drying mess now under his nose. '' Look at the signs Dean. They're right before you, spelling out what this is doing, yet you don't seem to understand what is going on.'' Miranda walked back to stoop over in front of Dean. '' Have you figured it out yet Winchester?'' She asked. Dean thought long and hard on it. She had been right, that cut to his hand couldn't have been caused by something inside of this room. There was literally nothing left int his empty room to cut his hand on in the first place. To top it off, his nose had stopped bleeding when nothing had even been done to stop it in the first place. If what she said was true, then that meant....

'' You've bound me to my brother.'' Dean whispered.

'' Yes. Anything that happens to him will happen to you, and anything that happens to you will happen to him.'' Miranda said. '' That is why you will do what ever we say you should do, or else the consequences will be severe.''

'' And if I say no?'' Dean questioned.

'' Then you've signed your brothers death sentence yourself.'' She said. '' Rest for now. We will be back shortly.'' Miranda smirked down at Dean, triumph in her eyes as she began to walk away.

'' No. Come back here!'' Dean shouted. '' You can't do this. Free my brother from this spell! LET HIM GO!'' The door to the room shut with a slam, and then Dean felt his heart sink. There was a moment of panic in his chest, making it feel tight as he tried to process just what had happened to him. He'd been cursed all right, but this curse was going to get both himself, and his brother killed. Sam was going to die if he died at their hands, and if Sam was stupid enough to get himself killed then he'd die to. '' Dammit!'' Dean cursed, head laying back on the ground. Truly, they were both screwed now. '' I'm sorry Sammy.'' He whispered.

 

\---

 

_I'm sorry Sammy._

Sam cracked his eyes open, the last remnants of the dream fading from his mind. That voice.... that voice was Dean's. Was he going crazy or something?

'' What the hell?'' Sam mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. He brought a hand down his face, but found when it reached his nose pain blossomed on his face. He pulled his hand back with a grimace, and saw that there was blood on the palm of his hand. '' Again. What the hell?'' Sam pushed himself up on the bed, still staring at his bloody palm as he threw the covers back. He looked back to the pillow, and found that there was blood soaked into the material, staining it crimson. Sam pushed himself off the bed, holding a hand to his nose as he made for the door. He opened it, and stumbled out into the hallway where the lights were dimly lit. Sam made his way towards where he knew the bathroom was located, taking it slow in case his nose decided to become a fountain again. As he walked, he began to hear voices drifting in from the main room.

'' Are you sure that's them.''

'' Positive, it matches the girl someone said they saw at the place where we found Sam.''

'' I don't know.... I don't think we can trust it just yet.''

'' What other choice do we have Thomas? We've got to stop this now, and find Dean.. There is clearly something else going on here, but I can't put my finger on it.''

'' You want me to wake him or should I?''

'' No..... No, I'll do it.'' Sam began to walk faster, hoping to reach the bathroom before Ashley saw that he was already up. He got to the door, and was about to pull it open when he realized his cover was blown, as Ashley was now staring at him. '' Sam, what the hell are you-'' Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the blood on his hand, and below his nose. She gasped, taking a few steps towards him. '' Sam, what on earth did you do?'' She asked, walking up to his side.

'' I didn't do anything.'' Sam said, hand wiping at his nose. It was starting to bleed sluggishly yet again. '' I woke up, and my nose was a bloody mess.'' He said.

'' Let me see.'' Ashley met Sam in front of the bathroom, hand pulling him lower so they saw eye to eye. She got up close, finding what looked like bruising on his face. '' Looks to me like you took some sort of nose dive Sam. Is it hurting any?'' She asked.

'' A little.'' He admitted. '' Are we done here?'' He asked.

'' Not yet. Thomas found something back at the place where we found you. He thinks it may be the lady that took Dean.'' Ashley said.

'' Are you sure?'' Sam asked.

'' It looks to be one of the witches you said you'd been hunting, but you'd have to see it yourself to figure out if its true or not.'' Ashley said.

'' Show me.'' Sam said.

'' No, get yourself cleaned up first.'' Ashley said. '' If Thomas see's you like this then he's going to loose his shit, especially after the tumble you took last night. He's already convinced that you've been hexed or something.'' She said. Sam only nodded, turning back to the bathroom. He'd have to make this quick, because he wanted to see what they'd found. Sam walked straight to where the sink sat, letting himself see his reflection in the mirror. Ashley had been right, he did look like hell. There was heavy bruising around his nose, and if he looked closely it looked almost like his nose was broken.

'' Crud. What the hell did I do to cause this?'' Sam asked himself, reaching for the hand towel that hung from the towel rack. He held it to his nose, pulling pressure on it to stench the bleeding. When it seemed to have stopped, he ran the clean half of the towel under warm water, and began to scrub at his face to get the dried blood off. It took maybe five minutes for him to have his face clear enough to see the true extent of the bruising, and it was pretty bad. What ever had done this had probably broken if not bruised his nose. Sam took one last look in the mirror before he turned away, satisfied with how it had stopped. He wasted no time in walking out of the bathroom, and tracking his way back to where Ashley and Thomas were waiting for him.

'' About time.'' Thomas said. His face screwed into confusion when he saw Sam. '' What the hell happened there?'' Thomas asked, gesturing to his nose.

'' Not sure. Woke up and it was like that.'' Sam said. '' So what did you find?'' He asked.

'' You need to see it for yourself. Come here.'' Thomas opened up the laptop, pulling up a few things as Sam walked over to stand behind him. He glared over his shoulder, watching Thomas pull up the video feed. '' This came up about an hour ago. I had to verify it, but it seems to be legit. This was from the night that you and Dean were attacked.'' Thomas turned the laptop for Sam to be able to see the feed. What he saw on the screen looked to be a girl. She had short cut black hair, and was avoiding the camera as much as possible as she watched two other figures. He could bet that this was both himself, and Dean. He watched for a moment, but then things began to act strange. The camera was shaking as a light appeared in her hands. She shot the light forward, and it hit its intended targets. She smirked as the light died down, but another one started in her hands. She let her fingers pull towards herself, and then he saw a limp figure slide across the ground. She bent down, laying a hand on the forms back for a second before her eyes flew towards the camera. With a twist of her hands the camera feed died away to static.

'' How the hell did you find this?'' Sam asked.

'' I dug deep, and this finally came up. Is it what you need?'' Thomas asked.

'' Yeah.... That... that was the witch alright. She was the one who we were hunting.'' Sam said. '' She has Dean, but we still don't know where she is.'' Sam ran a hand back through his hair, frustration gnawing at his stomach. '' We've got to find him.''

'' I'll keep searching. There's got to be another camera from that night. There may be footage of where Dean was taken.'' Thomas said.

'' But until then, we need to get a hold of Cas.'' Ashley said.

'' Has he gotten a hold of his intel?'' Sam asked.

'' Not as far as I know.'' Ashley said. '' But he should have something by now. I'll call him soon.'' She said, turning back towards the video feed. She watched the loop as it ended again. '' We will find Dean, it's only a matter of time.'' She said.

'' I know.'' Sam muttered.


	4. Punishment

Dean guessed it was maybe two hours before Miranda returned with two other people behind her.

'' Hello again Dean. Did you rest well?'' She asked.

'' You were only gone for two hours. How could I have rested?'' Dean asked, looking up to her.

'' It's time for you to learn your place.'' One of the other people, a male from the sound of it, said to him.

'' He's right. It's finally time.'' a female voice said.

'' And if I say no?'' Dean asked.

'' Trust me when I say that you don't want to learn what it will do to both your brother, and yourself.'' Miranda said. '' Now get up.'' She said.

'' I can't. Kind of tied up here.'' Dean said, shaking the hands cuffed behind his back to sound the metallic cuffs. Miranda made a face at this action, then motioned to one of the figures standing around her. The figure walked forward, and took hold of Dean under the arms. He wrenched him up off the floor, and forced him to stand while keeping one hand locked on his arm. They were dead set on not letting him get away.

'' Now walk. It's time for your first test.'' Miranda said.

'' Move.'' The male warned, pushing Dean's arm to force him forward. Dean stumbled slightly from the action, but did comply by taking a step forward. He walked along with the man at his back, slowly following the witch and third female figure in front of him. He knew there had to be a way to get away from them, but he didn't know his way around this place. Even if he were to get free, there was no telling whether he'd be able to get away in time before they found him. He'd just have to hope for the best, and decide whether he was running or not, because he was heading for God knows what now. Dean's eyes began to scour his surroundings, looking for any passage ways that could take him up and out of where ever he was, but was unable to see any. So he kept looking. It was maybe a moment later that he spotted something that may be able to help him. There was a small passageway up ahead, and to his left. If he could outsmart the guy at his back, and get away from the witch before she could do something to him, then maybe he could get away. Dean knew it was a risk, but he was going to take it. So he waited until he was close enough to the passage, and then as they passed by he made his move.

Dean jerked in the mans arms, managing to pull himself free as he forced the guy behind him back. He made a break for it, and began to run down the hall.

'' NO, STOP HIM!'' He heard Miranda shout. Dean kept running, making it to the end of that hall where he took a right into another passage. From there he began to run down the halls as they wound around. Dean wasn't sure how far he made it, but he must've made it far because he found that he was finding it hard to breath. Dean made one final turn, and then found a problem when the man who had ahold of him earlier was waiting for him there.

'' Going somewhere Winchester?'' He asked. Dean knew he was screwed now, but he wouldn't admit it yet as he tried to run back. All that got him was a punch to the gut by the girl who had been following Miranda before. Dean doubled over in pain, all breath knocked out of his lungs as le slumped over. He fell to his knees, taking in gulps of air as he wheezed painfully for a moment. He heard heels clicking on the floor for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again he saw the black heels that Miranda had been wearing.

'' You've just made a big mistake Winchester. You've just cost yourself something that I was trying to avoid doing, but now you leave me no choice.'' Miranda turned away to face the guy at Deans back. '' Take him to the chamber. See that he's taught what happens when he doesn't do what I say.'' She said.

'' Yes ma'am.'' The guy said. Dean felt hands grabbing at his arms, and then he found himself being dragged across the floor. He knew something bad was going to happen, but what it would be he was oblivious to. Dean could only hope that what ever It was wouldn't hurt his brother as well.

 

\---

 

When they reached the room the two simply dropped Dean to the floor, letting him fall on his side. Dean wouldn't deny that his stomach was still throbbing from the gut punch that he'd gotten a few moments before, and he bet that his brother was feeling it as well. Dean felt bad, knowing that he must've caused Sam some pain. He's supposed to protect his brother, not let him get hurt. He'd failed at his number one job, and that was to take care of Sammy.

'' What should we use on him?'' The girl asked.

'' What do you think. She gave us permission to use what ever we wanted, so we'll use what ever we want to do it.'' the guy said. Dean heard the girl let out a laugh, and then the sound of clattering chains filled his ears. Dean could give them this much credit, they weren't dumb. They'd undone the handcuffs that were holding his hands, but immediately brought his hands to his front to bind again in the metal cuffs. Then the metal chains were added with a hook that latched to the chain connecting the cuffs together. Dean watched as the chain was thrown over a bar across the ceiling, and then they began to pull. Dean's body jerked off the ground, the chains forcing him up as he was pulled to his feet, and then past that to hang by his wrists. Dean felt his body swing in the air slightly from the motion, and watched as the chair was attached to a bar on the wall to keep him in place.

'' You want the honors, or should I start this off?'' the girl asked. Dean wanted desperately to turn around to see him. He wanted desperately to see what they were doing, or what they were going to do to him, and how it would affect Sammy. Dean got his answer when he heard the loud crack of a whip. His eyes went wide, and fear ran through him as his blood ran cold. They couldn't do this, a whipping, it was unbearable to even think about. Dean knew he was screwed, but he couldn't even imagine how this could end for Sam.

'' I'll do the honors first. I've always wondered how you can make a hunter scream.'' the guy said. Dean felt something cold press to his back, and then he heard the sound of tearing cloth. Dean felt a chill run down his spine as the back of the shirt he'd been left with was torn open. So much for that clothing. there was a cold hand on his back for a second, followed by the feeling of something being dragged across his back. It was leathery, but the tip was made of some kind of metal.

'' You can't do this.'' Dean said.

'' I can do what I want. I actually follow her orders like we're supposed to.'' The guy said. '' So lets learn how to make the great Dean Winchester really scream.'' There were two steps behind him, and then the whoosh of air. The metal tip met skin, and Dean nearly bit through his lip to hold back the scream that wanted to escape. The pain was excruciating, his back arching at the painful sting from the deep cut the metal tip left behind. The whip was brought down again, and then again. Over and over again, making deep gashes into his skin. Dean found that he was no longer able to hold back the screams. It was to much to bear, the pain was excruciating. Much worse than anything that he'd ever felt before. He screamed, pain laced as white spots danced in his vision. The whip was brought across his back for a tenth time, and then there was a flash of something in his mind. Yet again, like before, it was a picture of his brother. Sam was laying on the floor, blood seeping through his shirt as he screamed out in pain. There was no one there with him like before. Which meant that if Ashley was really with him then she didn't know he was in pain. His brother was hurting. Sam was in pain, scared, not understanding what was happening to him. Dean knew it was his fault.

'' When is it my turn?'' The girl asked. The boy brought the whip across Dean's back again, and he arched under the crack. Dean noticed the nausea gnawing at his stomach. It was making him sick to feel his own blood dripping down his back after all of these hits. Dean gagged for a moment, his stomach starting to loose the battle as he leaned his head forward.

'' Take it now. It's say another fifteen should seal the deal.'' The guy said. Dean let out a quiet moan, and then the whip was brought against his back again. He screamed, and there was no holding back the tears of pain that he'd been fighting. He was hurting, Sam was hurting. Dean couldn't take it as his mind began to drift into a hazy fog, the pain finally proving to much for even him.

 

\---

 

'' Thomas?... Ashley?... Where's you guys go?'' Sam was wondering the bunker. He'd taken off to do some searching of his own for the witch, but when he came back to the main room both siblings were gone. He didn't find a note or anything telling him where they'd gone, so maybe they had left for only a little bit. Maybe they were around the bunker still, but he'd expected to have heard an answer by now if they were still here. So when he decided that they must not be in the bunker anymore he decided to give them a quick call. Sam reached into his pocket to search for his cell phone, but found that it wasn't there. He must've left it in his room when he got up this morning. So he began to make his way back there. He turned down the hall, and walked back towards the rooms. He was maybe within a foot or two of his room when he felt a rush of panic in his system. He felt his hands start to shake, and he looked at them like he was going crazy.

'' What... What the hell?'' Sam took one shaky step, and then the worst pain he'd ever felt ran up his back. Sam screamed out in pain, falling forward to land on his knees. His hands shook even worse as he panted through the pain. He reached back, running a hand along his back, and when he pulled it back his palm was slick with blood. '' Oh God.'' The pain came again, and this time Sam fell onto his side. It came again, and again, and again. One after the other, just like whip lashes. Sam screamed out, the pain to much to bear now as he arched against the wall where he'd fallen. He screamed again, hoping for anyone to hear him.. If they could just hear him, then they could held him. He could feel the back of his shirt, which was sticking to the slashed on his back that were oozing blood onto the floor. His clothing was soaked with it, and it made him feel a little sick to his stomach.

That's when Sam saw a flash just as the next lash came. It was a picture like before, and this one was of Dean. He was sure of it, that was his brother there. Dean was strung up to the ceiling of a room. His shirt was torn open, and there was blood dripping from his back. If he looked closely, he could see the pain written across his face, as well as something he didn't expect on his face. He saw tears. Dean was actually crying, which was something he never did. Was this just his head messing with him, or was this truly what Dean was seeing right now. If that was the case, then why was he also feeling the affects? Sam's mind couldn't think any more, as a fogy haze settled in his head. He felt maybe two, or three more of the slashes, and then his mind went under. Darkness claimed him for its own.


	5. Soul Link

When Dean woke from the foggy haze he was no longer in the chains holding him up. He was laid out in the room he'd woken up in when he'd first been there. This time he wasn't locked up, his hands were free to move, and so were his legs. However, he soon learned why when he tried to move around. His back lit up with pain, and he had to suppress a scream when he felt the way his skin pulled. He had to remind himself that he had been whipped only an hour ago, and his back was still a mess of cuts that would require stitches that he'd be unable to get. There was also a new injury that he found on the inside of his right arm. When he looked down to see what the stinging was, he found that something had been carved into his skin. The writing read **_punishment purges disobedience_**.The fog in his head never fully went away, but it was gone enough for him to remember just how much pain he' really been in. He also remembered the way that he'd screamed, and the picture of his brother that he'd seen. This was the thing that scared him the most. He now knew that this had hurt Sam to, but whether his brother had gotten help for it was the question of the day. Dean could only hope that Sam had gotten held, and that he was going to be OK. He just had to hope that Sam was alright.

The fog was starting to return. Dean didn't bother to fight it this time. He let the darkness pull him under again.

 

\---

 

'' Sam?.... You still here?'' Ashley opened the door to the bunker, shutting it behind herself as she began to make her way towards the stairs. Thomas was still outside, waiting with Cas himself, who they'd left a few hours ago to meet. She'd forgotten to leave a note for Sam, so she hoped that he hadn't taken off without them. '' We went to meet with Cas. He's waiting outside to talk to us. He thinks he has a lead.'' Ashley said, reaching the bottom of the stairs. She didn't hear any approaching footsteps, or see any 6'4'' hunter. '' Sam?'' Ashley walked further into the bunker, hoping to see him somewhere, but she didn't see him anywhere.

'' Sam!''

Ashley heard something like a groan come from further into the bunker, and she went ahead to investigate. Ashley followed the noise, listening closely to find where it was coming from. She found herself coming up on the bedrooms, and then she saw what had been making the noise.

'' Oh my God. SAM!'' Ashley ran forward, falling to her knees beside of Sam. '' Sam! Come on, say something! SAM!'' Sam was laid out on his side, one hand curled around his abdomen, while the other rested close to his head. Both hands were coated in blood, which was coming from his back. There was a puddle behind him from the blood loss, and it was a tremendous amount of it on the ground. Ashley ran around Sam's body, and almost shrieked at the sight of his back. His shirt was soaked in his blood, and Ashley quickly began to lift the edge to see what was causing the blood. She found that now she couldn't hold back a scream as she saw the bloody slashes that marred his back. Ashley shrieked, letting the shirt fall away from her shaking hands. She moved back to kneel in front of Sam, placing a hand on his forehead. He was cold and clammy. She then searched for a pulse, and it worried her when she realized that it was thread and weak. He was still breathing, she could feel it against her palm in short puffs.

'' ASHLEY!'' Came a scream from somewhere near the entrance.

'' THOMAS! GET CAS NOW!'' Ashley screamed back, never turning away from Sam. '' Come on Sam, wake up. Please, wake up Sam!'' Ashley felt her heart beat quicken, and her breathing speed up as she set a shaky hand on Sam's head. She tried to reach out to him through her telepathy, and got an almost immediate response. Ashley heard Sam groan in pain under her, and when she looked down he was starting to open his eyes. '' Sam!?'' Ashley watched him as he pulled his way out of sleep entering consciousness. '' Hey, can you hear me Sam?'' Ashley asked, forcing her voice to stay low. Sam looked up to her, a haze of pain coating his eyes as he tried to focus on her.

'' Ashley?''

'' Yeah, its me.''

'' I was looking for you.'' Sam whispered. His body tensed up, the pain in his back taking hold again as he let out another groan. He pressed his face into the ground, forcing down the nausea that came back with it. '' Couldn't find you.... Then this.''

'' Sam, who did this to you?'' Ashley asked. '' You have to tell me, who did this?''

'' No one here.'' Sam said. '' I think.... The spell..... linked.'' Sam tensed again, and he let out a cry of pain as he curled in on himself.

'' Linked. Linked to what?'' Ashley watched as Sam curled in tighter, letting out quick pants as his hands clenched and unclenched. Ashley glanced down to his hands, and then caught sight of the blood coating the inside of his right arm. '' Sam, your arm.'' Ashley reached out, wanting to see where the blood was coming from. She hated to do it, but she had to peel back the sleeve of his shirt to be able to see it. Sam groaned, trying to pull his arm away from her, but Ashley found it to easy to keep him from doing so. She got the sleeve away from his skin, and a surprised gasp escaped her lips.

**Punishment purges disobedience.**

It was written up the length of his lower arm, deep enough to at least need wrappings.

'' Oh god Sam, what did this to you?'' Ashley asked.

'' ASHLEY!'' Footsteps filled her ears, and when she turned back to see who it was she saw both Thomas and Castiel running towards '' What the hell... Oh my god.'' Thomas breathed out, stopping merely a foot away from Sam's still form.

'' I found him like this. I don't know what happened.'' Ashley said.

'' Was there someone else inside?'' Thomas asked, feeling as Castiel shoved by him to get to Sam's side. The angel fell beside him, hand ghosting over the still form looking for all his injuries.

'' His wounds are extensive, it's a miracle that he's still awake.'' Cas said.

'' What the hell did this to him?'' Thomas asked.

'' I don't know. He wouldn't tell me, but.... he said something.'' Ashley said.

'' What did he say?'' Thomas asked.

'' The spell.'' Sam groaned out. '' Witches curse..... Linked.''

'' What's he talking about?'' Thomas asked, kneeling beside his sister and the angel.

'' He's gone into shock. If you'll give me a moment we will learn.'' Cas  moved to kneed behind Sam's back, a look of pity crossing his face at the sight of all the blood and the slashes. What ever had done this was angry, and wanted him to hurt bad. '' Keep him still, don't let him move.'' Cas said, looking up to the set of siblings before him. He held a hand to Sam's back, and then a light began to glow from his palms. Ashley and Thomas watched as all the injuries that Sam had received, including the cut on his hand from the night before, and the bruising around his nose, were starting to heal. Ashley couldn't help but glance down at the writing on his arm. It was starting to vanish as well, leaving behind nothing but a bloody sleeve. She forced herself to look away.

'' There was something written on his arm.'' Ashley said. '' Punishment purges disobedience. What does that mean?'' Ashley asked, looking up to where Cas sat. '' Cas?''

'' I'm not sure.'' Cas said. '' But it may have something to do with why this is happening to him.'' He added. The healing process only took another minute or so, and then all the wounds were gone.

'' Sam? Can you hear us?'' Cas asked, pulling his hands away from him. Sam remained still for a moment, but he soon groaned as he began to try and move.

'' Hold up Sam, Baby steps.'' Ashley warned, hand resting on his shoulder to push him back against the ground. '' Are you alright?'' She asked.

'' I'm healed.'' He mumbled aloud. '' So I should say better.''

'' Help me get him up.'' Ashley and Cas worked together to get Sam into a sitting position, leaning him up against the wall. Sam leaned his head back, swallowing hard as he let his eyes close for a moment.

'' Thomas. Go get some water or something.'' Ashley said.

'' Right.'' Thomas left down the hall, leaving the psychic and the angel with Sam.

'' Sam, can you tell us who did this to you?'' Cas asked.

'' It's not a who.'' Sam said. '' It's a what.''

'' What do you mean?'' Ashley asked.

'' Before you found me the other day, that witch did cast a spell. I thought it had only gotten Dean at the time, but I'm starting to think that it got us both.'' Sam said. '' It.... It's hard to explain, but when ever I got hurt, I saw flashes of Dean inside my head, and he would he hurt in the exact same way as I was, or vice versa.'' He explained. Ashley shot a look towards Cas, who looked more worried than he'd ever looked to her before. '' I think that Dean and I were cursed again.'' Sam admitted.

'' But that's impossible, I've never heard of a curse that could do what you're describing.'' Ashley said.

'' It may not be a curse at all.'' Cas said.

'' What do you mean Cas?''

'' I've never seen it done before, but there have been stories about witches using a spell that ties two people together in a way like what Sam is describing.''

'' OK, but how can you tell for sure, and what kind of spell is it in the first place?'' Ashley asked.

'' The spell is called a soul link, its very powerful witchcraft that requires for both people to be present to cast, and each person must be in contact with each other.''

'' Contact..... Dean shoved me out of the way when the spell was cast. He had his hands on me when I blacked out.'' Sam's eyes widened as he looked up to Ashley and Cas. '' Oh god.... Not again.''

'' You could say that again. Last time you boys got cursed all of us almost got us killed.'' Ashley said.

'' This spell very well could get them killed again.'' Cas warned.

'' But how do we know that this is what we're dealing with?'' Sam asked. Cas's eyes glanced from Sam to Ashley, who got this look on her face.

'' Cas, he's already been through enough for today. Don't even try it.'' She warned.

'' It's the only way to learn if this is what truly happened to them.'' Cas said.

'' What are you going to do?'' Sam asked.

'' There is a way for me to see what happened to you, but to do it I have to touch your soul.'' Cas said.

'' Touch my soul?''

'' That is correct.'' Cas said.

'' Um..... I don't think that's a good idea Cas.''

'' It will be completely safe Sam.'' Cas said. '' It will not be like it was before.''

'' Before, what happe-'' Ashley cut herself off when she got a glare from Cas that yelled for her to be quiet. So she stayed quiet.

'' OK then. Lets figure it out.''


	6. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be my last update of this story until after Thanksgiving, so it may be a few days until the next chapter comes out. I hope that you all are liking the story so far, and I'm sorry for making you wait for my next chapter.

Ashley and Cas had gotten Sam into the main room of the bunker, and had him sitting at one of the tables. Thomas had brought him some water like they'd asked, but it still sat untouched on the table, forgotten because of the current situation.

'' This is going to hurt.'' Cas warned, stepping in front of Sam. He only nodded in understanding, and held up the belt he'd grabbed. He placed it between his teeth, choosing to not bite off his tongue when Cas did this.

'' I'll go in to.'' Ashley said. '' I may be able to pick out where Dean is.''

'' If you're going in to, then grab on.'' Cas said. Ashley set a hand on Cas's shoulder, her other one snaking over to rests on Sam's. She could feel how tense he was under her touch, meaning that he knew what was to come. She felt bad that they were putting him through this, but it was the only way that they could find out if a soul link was what was causing Sam to end up with injuries that hadn't been inflicted on him. '' Alright. Here we go.'' Cas bent down, and held out his hand as he placed it on Sam's stomach.  A moment later Sam was practically screaming out as Cas's hand disappeared into his body. Ashley began to push her way in as well, finding her way into what was going on while Cas searched out for the hunters soul. It was maybe three or four seconds, but he found it, and what they both saw was all the proof they needed. The second Cas touched Sam's soul Ashley saw clear as day where Dean was at. She could see the small room he was trapped in, and she could see that he was in pain from what Cas was doing to Sam.

_'' Dean. It's him.''_ She heard Sam say.

_'' Sammy?''_ Dean called out to them. She could hear Sam yell something to Dean, but she really doubted that he ever heard it because a second later Dean was gone, replaced by the surroundings of the bunker. Ashley stepped away from Cas, watching as he also stepped away from Sam. Sam was hunched over himself, letting out quick gasps of air as he tried to get a grip on the pain lacing through his body.

'' What.... What the hell was that?'' Sam asked, glancing up to Cas. '' I saw Dean... He could hear me, why did you pull me out?'' He demanded.

'' Sam. your nose.'' Ashley whispered. Sam suddenly realized that there was something dripping from his nose. He lifted a hand to his face, and when it came away there was blood.

'' If I held on any longer than your body would've been pushed over the edge, and there's no coming back from that.'' Cas said. '' I'm sorry Sam, but I'm not risking such things at this time.''

'' Sam, you said you saw Dean. Where was he?'' Thomas asked  from across the room.

'' I..... I'm not sure. He was locked in a room somewhere. It almost looked like he was underground maybe. There weren't any windows.'' Sam described.

'' Was there anyone with him?'' Thomas asked.

'' If there had been I didn't see any.'' Sam said.

'' Me neither. I would've sensed them for sure through that strong of a link.'' Ashley said.

'' Now we know that Dean's still alive, but we don't know where he is.'' Thomas said.

'' That may not be true.'' Ashley said. '' We know what one of the witches looks like that took Dean, and we know that she's using this type of spell on people. We can do a country wide search, look for people who had similar attacks to what happened to Sam and Dean. We can track her, figure out where she is, and how she's getting around. Then we may be able to find Dean. It's a long shot, but it should work.''

'' I agree, but where the hell do we start?'' Thomas asked.

'' We start right here. Start with what happened to Sam, and search outwards from there. Witches can't travel far on spell power alone, so they couldn't have gotten far before we found him. We have to try.'' Ashley said.

'' If so, then give me a hand with it.'' Thomas said.

'' I will lend a hand as well. There's got to be an angel or two that's heard of something related to these attacks.'' Cas told them. '' But Sam,'' Cas said, catching the attention of the youngest Winchester,'' you need to stay close. If those witches are going to keep doing what ever they did to Dean, than I need to be close by to you to heal what ever they've done.''

'' I understand.'' Sam said.

'' Alright, we all have a job. Let's get to it.''

 

\---

 

Dean couldn't believe it.

When he'd fallen asleep he'd been in so much pain, enough that it was probably the reason he'd conked out the way he did. Now he was fully healed, and he'd heard what he wanted to call hope. Right before he'd woken up he'd felt some of the worst pain he's ever felt in his gut. It felt like someone had been tearing at his insides, and were trying to blend them to mush. It had gone on for maybe half a minute, and then he heard a voice. There was no denying the voice, he knew it clear as day.

_Dean, its him._ The voice had said.

'' Sammy?'' Dean tried to call out to his brother. He tried to call out to Sam, knowing that he must've heard him. There was a flash before Dean's eyes, revealing the sight of his brother sitting in a chair at one of the bunkers tables. Cas was standing in front of him, his hand buried deep in his gut in search for his soul. Ashley was at their sides, and he could sense her inside what Cas was doing. Dean thought he heard Sam try to say something else to him, but it cut out as the vision faded. His eyes were filled with the sight of his cell, and the pain in his stomach became a dull throbbing as he curled in on himself. Cas must've pulled away from what ever he'd been doing, meaning that he'd been cut off from Sam yet again.

'' Dammit.'' Dean cursed, lifting a hand to wipe at his face. When his hand came away there was blood on his palm. He lifted his hand back to his face, and found that the blood was coming from his nose. The stress of having the angel reach into not only his soul, but Sam's as well stressed his body, and he'd learned from experience that nose bleed was the least of is problems. He knew very well that if Cas had held the link any more than he had then they'd be in worse shape then they were now. Dean wiped his hand on his pants leg, getting all the blood off his palm the best he could. His mind dwelled on what had happened for awhile, hearing those words that Sam had said. His brother had still been in the dark, probably still was. He must not understand what had happened to him. He couldn't blame him if he didn't, he didn't even understand until that witch had told him. Dean could only hope that by now Cas had figured out what was going on, and was helping Sam to both solve this mess, and figure out where he was being held. Because so far he had no clue what so ever as to where he was.

Dean didn't realize how much time had passed before the door to his room was opening, and in stepped two figures.

'' Well well well, it would seem that someone has found himself a healer. Or maybe you just heal fast.'' Miranda whispered, taking small steps towards him. '' So how's little brother Sammy doing after that little punishment you received?'' Miranda asked.

'' Shut your trap lady. You purposefully did that because you knew what it would do to both me and him. You just want us to suffer.'' Dean said.

'' Well, you're not wrong.'' She said. '' But now's not the time for that. Now is the time for you to do as I say, because you must take your place in the arena.'' She said.

'' Arena?''

'' Yes. It is where you will be tested to see if you're fit enough to join my army I'm creating.'' She said. '' Knowing you, you'd make the perfect general.'' She added.

'' What makes you think I'll ever do something like that?'' Dean asked.

'' Well, for one thing, if you don't then I'll let them do what they want to you again, and risk your brother being harmed.'' She started. '' Or maybe you'll do what I say, and maybe your brother won't be harmed again. It is your choice.'' Miranda said. '' Make up your mind Dean.''

'' So no matter what I do, there is a chance of my brother being harmed.'' Dean said. '' Like hell would I chose either one. I won't let Sammy get hurt again. Not under my watch.''

'' It's only your choice. If you refuse again, then I'll make the next punishment much worse. Maybe something that he won't be able to handle, and could get you both killed.'' She said. '' So if you're so dead set on protecting your little brother, you'll do as I say, and protect him by taking your place with the rest of my army.'' She said. Dean hated to say it, but if it was the only way to protect Sam than he was going to take it. If they tortured him, they were torturing Sammy to, which meant that he would be scared, lost, even ready to die because of it. He wasn't going to put Sam through that again. There were still ways to get away from what she wanted, he just knew it, but for now he would have to follow her lead. He'd do what ever she said, but only to protect his brother.

'' Only if you have your word, that my brother won't be harmed if I do what you say.'' Dean said.

'' It all depends on you as to whether or not Sam is harmed. So is that a yes then?'' Miranda asked.

'' Yes.'' Dean said.

'' Very well then.'' Miranda pulled something from a bag around her shoulder. On closer inspection, Dena realized that it was a black t-shirt right before she chucked it at him. '' Put this on, and then follow me, and I'm warning you now. Try anything on the way over this time, and I will promise you that your brother will suffer worse than death itself.'' She said. A chill ran down Dean's spine as he pulled the shirt on. He couldn't let Sam get hurt again, so he'd have to play his cards just right. '' Get up. It's time to go.'' Miranda said. Dean pushed himself up off the floor, the chill in his spine still hanging there as he began to follow Miranda. The other person, who he guessed was another witch, was following them close behind. She stayed right behind Dean so he couldn't escape, and Dean stayed right behind Miranda who kept glancing back to him from time to time. He wasn't to sure how long it lasted, but he was sure that they'd been walking for at least ten minutes or so before Miranda came up to a door.

'' What's going on?'' Dean asked.

'' You will be allowed one weapon of my choosing for your first fight.'' Miranda said. '' I've chosen for you to use this.'' Miranda turned around to face Dean, and in her hand sat a silver blade that reached about 10 inches out.

'' What am I fighting exactly?'' Dean asked.

'' That I am not sure, but you will learn soon enough.'' Miranda said. '' Just know, this is a fight to the death. You want to protect your brother, you win. That's that. So dont' loose unless you want your brother to die tonight.'' Miranda thrust the blade into Dean's hands before turning back to the door. She wrenched it open, and stepped aside. Dean felt a set of hands on his back. '' Win, or die. That is the arena.'' She said. Dean felt a hard shove on his back, and he was sent forward into the room. He heard the door shut as he looked up to his surroundings. It was a circular room, and all the walls were made up of windows that started about waist level. He couldn't see anything on the other side, telling him that these were one way windows. There was the sound of a door opening across from him. When he looked up, he saw that there was a figure standing in the doorway. When it walked in, he heard a growl of sorts. The figure came into view, and turned out to be some sort of monster. Upon closer inspection, he caught sight of the claws, and the teeth, as well as the eyes. He was fighting a werewolf. There was a crackling noise from above him, and Dean saw the werewolf grin sadistically as a voice boomed.

**_Let the battle begin!_ **


	7. Monsters and People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. I've had a lot of stuff come up during this break, and I just needed some time. Now that time has passed, and I'll be posting regularly again. Thank you for waiting patiently, and I hope that you're liking the story so far. ( I will apologize ahead of time for the fact that I am terrible at writing fighting scenes. So the next scene may be a little shorter then you hoped.)

**_Let the fight commence._ **

Dean's eyes ran from the speaker over head to land on the werewolf before him. The monster was smiling as it growled, almost reveling in what it could do to him right before it ran at him. Dean knew there was no point in running, because he wouldn't get far in this small of a space. These people wanted these fights to end quickly, which only made things harder for him. He needed space to work with, and he barely had enough space to run in this room. The creature would catch up to him at some point, so why not take care of it now? Dean watched as the werewolf got closer, and then he jumped out of the way. He was able to avoid the chomping jaws, but the monsters claws managed to sink into his arm. It was pretty deep, the cuts reaching in enough to cut not only skin, but muscle to. He began to feel the blood from the fresh wound slide down his arm after a few seconds, soaking the sleeve of the shirt he'd been given.

The werewolf turned on him, snarling as its eyes gleamed at the scent of his blood. Dean knew he had to finish this fast, so he waited for the right moment. The werewolf came at him again, and this time he was able to get in a swipe. He brought the blade across the monsters chest, but it didn't pierce any deeper than the skin. The werewolf growled in pain, backing up a foot as a red burn appeared around the fresh wound. It was only a scratch compared to what he could've done had he been closer. The creatures eyes were furious, and it leaped forward to pin Dean to the ground. Dean thought that he'd managed to get far enough away from it, but the creature snagged him by the ankle. He went down fast, hitting with a thud that sent the blade flying from his hand.

Dammit!'' Dean cursed.

'' What kind of a fighter are you?'' The werewolf asked, clawed hands gripping at Dean's flailing arms. He managed to get one free, but the other was pinned to the ground before he could stop him. The blade that had slipped from Dean's hands sat about a foot away from them at the moment. '' You're barely trying, it's like you don't want to fight me.'' He said.

'' Frankly I don't.'' Dean admitted, which only got a low growl out of the werewolf. It bent down into Dean's face, snarling as some saliva slipped from its lips to land on his cheek. He couldn't help the sick feeling that fell in the pit of his stomach. '' Damn, that's disgusting.''

'' I've been fighting in this arena five times now, and my kill rate is unbeatable. You'll be my sixth.'' The werewolf said.

'' Or maybe you'll be my first!'' Dean kicked up with his knee, nailing the werewolf between the legs. The creature howled in pain, rolling off of Dean. He pushed himself back, finding the knife that he'd been given a moment later. Dean turned back to the werewolf, who was already recovering from the hit.

'' Bastard! That's a dirty move!'' He yelled. 

'' There are no dirty moves in a fight.'' Dean said. The wolf howled again, fangs and claws glistening in the florescent light above as he ran forward. The werewolf had made a mistake, leaving his chest wide open for the kill. Dean delivered one swift blow to the creatures chest, the knife ripping through flesh, muscle, and soon its heart. The werewolf's eyes when wide, and his body jerked for a moment before going still. He saw the life in the creatures eyes flee, and a moment later he was dead. Dean let the creature slide off the knife to hit the floor with a dull thud. The blade was coated in crimson liquid as it also slid from his hand. There was a roar of screams and cheers from around him, and once again the overhead intercom came to life.

_**The winner is, Dean Winchester!**_ It bellowed.

The door behind Dean opened, and revealed Miranda followed by her two bodyguards that had whipped him only hours ago.

'' Well done Dean. You just saved your brother from a rather painful death.'' Miranda congratulated.

'' So this is how its going to be then?'' Dean asked. '' I fight, my brother stays alive?''

'' Only if you win like you did hear. Win enough fights, and you join my ranks, but until then,'' there was a prick in the back of his neck, and Dean suddenly found it very hard to keep his eyes open,'' you'll have to listen to what I say.''

Dean's vision swam as the ground flew up at him.

 

\---

 

'' Are you alright now? You hit pretty hard there Sam.'' Ashley held out the ice pack to Sam, who took it with a grateful look.

'' I'm fine. It was nothing, really.''Sam said.

'' There were cuts up your arm Sam, and now there's a nasty bruise on your wrist. Something happened.'' Cas said. Sam hated to admit it, but he knew something had happened. He'd felt the cuts when they'd ripped up his arm, and the vice like grip that had been on his arm. He couldn't be sure about it, but he thought he'd seen Dean at one point during the entire thing. It had looked like he was in a fight or something, but it was rather hard to tell from where he sat. Next thing he knew he had gotten very dizzy, and when the faded images passed he was falling to the floor. He didn't know how long he was out for, but it had been long enough for them to move him to the couch in one of the rooms that they'd made up in the bunker.

'' I know.'' Sam whispered, setting the ice pack on the back of his head. He'd hit hard enough for a large knot to form there, and it was starting to hurt like the dickens now. '' I did see something, but I couldn't tell what it was. I..... I think Dean was fighting someone, but I'm not sure who.'' Sam admitted.

'' Maybe he's been able to escape.'' Ashley suggested.

'' Maybe, but we can't be sure until we hear from him.'' Cas said.

'' He's got to be OK. If he wasn't, then I'd be dead by now.'' Sam said.

'' Don't remind us.'' Ashley mumbled. Ashley found herself glancing down to Sam's wrist, and she found the hand shaped bruise sitting there. What ever Dean had been fighting had really wanted him not to move for the bruise to be that dark. She'd already begged Sam to let Cas heal this, and the bump on his head, but he'd refused. He hadn't been able to refuse for the cuts, for they would've required stitches anyway, and they'd been bleeding pretty badly.

'' How long was I out?'' Sam asked.

'' Two hours. Give or take.'' Ashley said. '' What ever made you go down must've happened to Dean. They must've drugged him or something.'' She added.

'' Hey, Ashley!'' The holler from one of the other rooms caught the hunter off guard as her eyes flew up to the door. '' Come here for a second! I need your help!'' Thomas yelled.

'' I'll be back.'' She said. Ashley stood from the edge of the coffee table where she'd been sitting, and made her way back to the other room where her brother sat with the video feeds of a few places they'd found leads in.

'' Thomas must have something. May be worth checking out.'' Sam said.

'' I'll find out for sure.'' Ashley yelled over her shoulder as she walked out the door. Sam fell back into the couch after that, head starting to swim as the bump began to throb with every heartbeat. Had he managed to give himself a concussion just from falling on the floor?

'' Sam?'' Cas questioned. He cracked an eye open, not even realizing that he'd shut them, only to find Cas watching him with a questioning gaze.

'' I'm fine.'' Sam mumbled. '' A bit dizzy.'' Sam said.

'' You're not fine.'' Cas said. Before Sam could tell him not to, Cas held out a hand and set it on his head. One moment he could barely see straight, the next he was completely fine. The throbbing was gone, as well as the dizzy feeling he'd had.

'' I told you not to do that.'' Sam said.

'' Well I did.'' Cas shot back. Sam could only grin. Dean was starting to rub off on Cas a lot now. `

'' Hey guys!'' Came a shout from the other room. '' You've got to take a look at this!'' Sam gave one look to Cas, who immediately stood from where he sat. Sam got off the couch as quickly as he could, and followed the angel into the other room. When they got there, they saw Ashley and Thomas standing crouched over at the screens set up there.

'' What is it?'' Sam asked.

'' We found her.'' Ashley said. '' and we found that she's not only taking people.''

'' What?''

'' Take a look.'' Thomas and Ashley stepped aside, letting the two in to see the footage. What they saw was grainy at best, but it was still enough. Miranda was there, standing beside two people who looked like an ordinary couple. Something flashed in Miranda's hands, and it grew brighter as the two touched each other for just a moment. When the flash was gone, the couple was out cold, or so it looked like. For a split second, the males eyes opened, and they saw the eyes glow a bright white in the video feed before it went static like it had when Dean was taken.

'' What the hell was that, a shifter?'' Sam asked.

'' Exactly. This witch is targeting more than just people, or at least humans.'' Thomas said.

'' So she's kidnapping people, and monsters, but we still don't know why.'' Sam ran a hand over his face, confusion muddling his thoughts. '' God, what the hell is she trying to do?'' Sam muttered.

'' It could be possible that she's trying to build some sort of army.'' Ashley said.

'' It is possible.'' Cas said. '' There have been times in the past where covens of witches will take people, and sometimes monsters to create strong armies to fight off their foes.''

'' At a time like now, that enemy is the Darkness.'' Ashley said. '' It would be a perfect time to create an army to stop her.''

'' But if that's true, then why take Dean?'' Sam asked.

'' It may be because of the fact that he is somehow bound to her.'' Cas said. '' He may just be a piece to use in this war. A pon in their game.''

'' Enough of this. Someone has to get over there before the case goes cold.'' Thomas said.

'' The newest appearance was in Washington. Who's going to go?'' Ashley asked.

'' I'm going.'' Sam said. '' I need to find Dean, and you guys can't stop me.''

'' If Sam's going then I need to be close by. If something happens to Dean then I have to heal them through Sam.'' Cas said.

'' Thomas, got any other leads for me to cover then?'' Ashley asked.

'' There may be one about two hours from here, but that's it.'' Thomas said.

'' Right. I'll cover that one, you two head out to Washington.'' Ashley said.

'' If you don't find anything then meet back here. I may have something new by then.'' Thomas said.

'' And Sam.'' Ashley caught Sam's attention after a moment.

'' Yeah?''

'' If anything new happens, call us. We need to see if there's a pattern to this. Maybe it could help us find Dean.'' She explained.

'' I will.'' Sam said.

'' Alright, lets get to work.''


	8. Attacked

The impala's engine let off one last rumble as Sam cut it. He'd been pretty surprised that it hadn't been taken after Miranda had attacked Dean and himself. He could only suspect that either Ashley or Cas had grabbed it when they came for him. Those two knew just as much as he did that Dean loved his car, and would kill anyone who tried to touch it without his permission. That's why Sam had done his best not to damage the impala while driving up to Washington. It had taken a little over a day, with both him and Cas switching off every once in a while to take short cat naps. In the end they still made it, and where glad to find a motel close by, or at least Sam was. Cas still didn't need to sleep now that he'd gotten his real grace back.

Even though they'd arrived late at night Sam had still pushed himself, searching for the address of the girl who had also been attacked as well as any information on the boy/shape shifter that they'd seen in the video feed. He'd searched as long as he was able to before Cas practically ripped the laptop away from him, and told him to rest. So he did, and the next morning he relayed all that he'd read the night before.

He'd learned that the girls name was Brianna Wilson, who was a local senior at the high school. Digging deeper had revealed the shifters name to be Tyler Morrison, who had no records that he could dig up. No medical records, no school records, no nothing. Tyler Morrison didn't exist. Since Sam had managed to find the address of Brianna's house, they decided that they would go and ask her exactly what had happened on the night that she was attacked. So here they were, both donning the FBI suits and badges as the front door of Brianna's house opened up.

'' Hello?''

Sam was a little caught off guard when he saw her appearance. The poor girl looked like she'd been through hell. There was bruising around one of her eyes, dark enough to truly call it a black eye. There were cuts on her arm, which she immediately pulled her sleeve over to hide from there view.

'' Miss Wilson. I'm agent King, this is my partner Agent Young, we need to ask you a few questions related to your attack the other night.'' Sam said, flashing his badge to her. Cas followed with his own soon after.

'' I already told the police everything I have to say.'' She said.

'' We understand, but we really need to speak with you.'' Sam said. Brianna looked down for a moment, almost like she was contemplating what to do, but then she stepped aside.

'' Please, make this quick. I don't want my parents to see you were here.'' She said.

'' We'll be as quick as we can.'' Sam told her, stepping inside of her house. It was a small place, but it was rather nice for a family like hers. Pictures lined the walls of the room that she lead them to, showing off photo's dating from her baby years all the way to her current year. She let Sam and Cas take a seat on the thread worn couch, which was rather springy when they took a seat. She sat on the edge of the arm chair a few feet away. '' What is it that you need to know?''

'' Did you for any reason know your attacker?'' Sam asked.

'' No. I'd never seen her before, and neither had Tyler.'' Brianna said.

'' Did you see what happened to Tyler before he disappeared?''

'' No. There was a flash of light, and when I came to he was gone. I just don't understand why this happened to him. He was such a good kid.'' Brianna told him.

'' What did you see the woman do before Tyler was taken?'' Cas spoke up.

'' I'm not quite sure what she was doing.'' Brianna said. '' Her hand was glowing almost, like it was covered in lightning. What ever it was, she shot it at us. I think Tyler tried to push me out of the way. He touched me just as I blacked out. Now this.'' She said. Sam glanced back at the bruising on her face. There was no way that had happened from the attack.

'' Those bruises look pretty nasty. Where'd you get them?'' Sam asked.

'' These?'' Brianna's hand reached up to her face, touching the purple area around her eye. '' They just.... I don't know. They just appeared the other day. I don't know why they're there.'' She said. '' It was these, and a photo of sorts.'' She said.

'' Photo?''

'' Yes.... When I'm asleep, I keep seeing photo's of Tyler. It looks like he's in pain, as if someone's hurting him.'' She said. She looked up to Sam with worry pooling in her eyes. '' Please tell me, these pictures aren't real are they?''

'' What are the pictures about?'' Sam asked.

'' When I see them all I see is him. There was one point that I saw a sign, but it was hard to read. I think it said Topsham.'' She said.

'' Topsham..... That sounds like a town in Main.'' Sam mumbled.

'' What?''

'' Oh, nothing.''

'' That's what I saw. It was a sign, but I just-'' Brianna cut herself off as her body jerked for a moment. Sam watched her as her hand flew to her side, and her face scrunched with pain.

'' Brianna?'' Sam watched her for another moment, and his eyes widened when he saw her hand come away covered in blood.

'' What.... What the hell is this?'' She questioned. She looked up to Sam, her own eyes wide with fear. She attempted to stand, but her legs gave way from under her. Sam was up, and at her side before she could hit the ground. He carefully lowered her, laying her down on her back as some blood slipped from her lips. '' Why?.... Why is this happening?'' She whispered.

'' Just hold on. Alright, just hold on for me.'' Sam said.

'' Let me.'' Cas knelt beside Sam, hand already reaching out to touch her. When he did a light stretched from his hand, and just like he had with Sam he began to heal her wounds. It only took a moment, and then the cut in her side was gone. Brianna looked up to them with surprise and shock. She touched where the cut had been, hand feeling smooth skin where it had once been broken.

'' How?'' She asked.

'' You'll understand one day.'' Cas said simply. Brianna could only smile, and began to push herself up before her body went rigid with a gasp of air. Her eyes widened before going cold, and blood soaked her front as she fell back against the floor. Sam reached out to her neck, searching for a pulse, or any signs of life. He found none, and realized that the girl was dead.

'' No.... Cas, quickly.'' Cas set a hand on her again, and the light returned, but this time nothing happened. The wound to her chest would not heal, dooming her to death.

'' I can't heal it. Not this time, she's to far gone.'' Cas said. '' I'm sorry Sam.''

'' Dammit!'' Sam slammed his fist into the floor. '' These bastards are killing innocent people. We have to stop them.''

'' We can't stay here. If someone sees us then we are in trouble.'' Cas said.

'' I know.'' Sam gave one last look to the girl, her eyes still open with dying fear. He wanted to close them, but if he did then he was only leaving evidence. He couldn't do that. So he left her just as she was. He stood from the floor, and quickly fled the house with Cas hot on his heels. They'd call for an ambulance when they were far enough away to not be considered suspects. Until then there was nothing that they could do.

 

\---

 

They drove until they reached the motel. Sam didn't say a word as he opened the door, and almost slammed it shut had he not remembered that Cas was with him.

'' We could've saved that girl. We could've done something, and we let her die.'' Sam said, throwing his suit jacket across the room to land on the bed.

'' Sam. There was nothing either of us could do.'' Cas said.

'' You could've brought her back.'' Sam argued.

'' And what ever was attacking that shapeshifter would've killed her again. It's a never ending loop Sam. She was going to die one way or another.'' Cas said. Sam turned to his bag, grabbing the straps while he turned to the bathroom. '' Sam.''

'' We could've saved her.'' He said, slamming the bathroom door behind him. Cas just let out a sigh, taking a seat on the edge of one of the beds. He could've saved her, he knew he could, but she would've only been killed again. He wasn't going to make her suffer. It wasn't right. The shrill tone of his cellphone caught him off guard for a moment. He pulled it from his pocket, eyeing the caller ID to see that is was just Ashley. So he answered it.

'' Hello?''

_'' My leads was a bust. It's not connected to the witches at all.What happened with your lead?''_

'' It was a good lead, before she died.'' Cas said.

_'' What? Who killed her?''_

'' We're not sure. She was killed in a similar way to the attacks that Sam has received over the past few days.'' Cas explained. '' She was stabbed through the heart.''

_'' Makes sense since her date was a shifter. So what now?''_

'' We may have a lead over in Main. The girl spoke of a sign she saw in her dreams that read. Topsham.'' Cas said.

_'' Topsham Main. I've hunted there before, I know my way around. I'll call Thomas, get him started on searching for any leads.''_

'' We'll be heading back as soon as possible.'' Cas told her.

_'' Be careful.''_ Cas heard the bathroom door pop open.

'' Will do.'' Cas hung up the phone as Sam threw his bag onto his bed. He'd ditched the FBI clothes for his normal every day wear.

'' Who was that?'' Sam asked.

'' Ashley. She said her lead was a bust.'' Cas explained. '' I told her what Brianna told us. She said that Thomas would get started on it right away.'' He added.

'' I see.'' Cas caught sight of something on Sam's arm. When he looked again he found that it was a long cut, which Sam was trying desperately to hide with what wrappings he'd had.

'' You're hurt.'' Cas said.

'' It's nothing.'' Sam said.

'' But you're still hurt.''

'' It's nothing Cas. Just leave it be.'' Sam said. He knew he was hurt. He'd known since that girl had been killed, because Dean had been the one to kill the person she was linked to. He'd seen the flashes in his mind when it happened. He'd seen the way that Dean stabbed the shifter through the heart as both he and the girl died before his eyes. So yeah, he may be hurt, but he wasn't going to let Cas heal it. He felt that he had to bear this one, so he was going to do it. Sam felt like he was trapped. He felt trapped inside a small room where the walls were growing closer together. He had to get away for just a little bit. He just had to.

'' Sam.'' Cas saw the younger Winchester walk back towards the door, snatching his room key and jacket along the way. '' Where are you going?''

'' I need a little time.'' Sam said.

'' It's not smart to be alone Sam. Not while you're attached the way you are.'' Cas warned.

'' I'll be fine.'' Sam said. He opened the door, and the next moment he was gone.

 

\---

 

Sam wasn't sure how long he walked for. He'd decided against driving, choosing to go ahead and walk for awhile. It gave him time to clear his head, get a handle on the raging thoughts that threatened to tear him apart. He was confused, he was worried, scared, and down right terrified for what was to come next. For all he knew Dean could be the next to die, taking him with it. Even the thought of it made Sam's stomach clench. All he wanted was for his brother to be safe, to be with him to help figure out how to reverse this. Sam felt his foot catch on the curb as he stumbled for a moment. When he caught his footing again, he realized that he'd walked much farther than he'd realized. He was rather close to the edge of town, and he hadn't even realized it. He knew he had to get back soon, so he turned back and began to walk. As he went he began to notice that there was a strange absence of people and cars out on the roads. This town wasn't as small as some of the ones that he'd stayed in over the years. It was a pretty large place, the streets filled with a few stores that at this time of day should still be open. However, the streets seemed to be empty, and not a single car was out on the road.

'' This is a little weird.'' Sam mumbled. He kept walking, going a little faster than he had before. He didn't like how things were looking. It was like someone was waiting for him almost. He began to walk a little faster again when when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. It had looked like a figure, but he couldn't be sure. So he kept going. Thoughts were swarming in his head, thoughts that screamed for him to run, to fight back, to do anything that would keep that thing away from him. The motel was just in sight when a shrill ringing filled his ears. If he hadn't recognized it he probably would've freaked out, but he knew that shrill tone as his cell phone. He paused for only a second to pull it from his pocket, and when he had the thing to his ear he continued down his chosen path.

'' Yes?''

_'' Sam... You need to get back here now.''_

'' Cas, what do you mean?'' Sam asked.

_'' We're not alone here. Someone's watching the motel room.''_

'' Like..... Like the thing stuck on my shoe here?'' Sam hoped that Cas caught what he meant. Silence passed on the other line for maybe a moment, but then Cas spoke up again.

_'' Someone's following you?''_

'' Yeah. It's rather annoying.'' Sam sped up more, walking at a fast pace that almost mimicked jogging.

_'' How far away are you?''_

'' Close. I can see it from here.'' Sam said. The motel was in sight now, and was only half a block away.

_'' Can you see what's following you.''_

'' No. I can't.'' Sam admitted. '' It's stuck.''

_'' Keep moving. When you're back here we're leaving.''_

'' Alr-'' Something silver colored caught Sam's eye, and when he turned he was facing the barrel of a gun. The weapon was held by a shadowy figure who was hidden in the alley that Sam stood by.

'' For my coven.'' The man spoke. Sam turned to run as the shot rang out.


	9. Topsham

Cas had heard the gunshot clearly on the other line before the phone went dead.

'' Sam.... Sam!'' He threw his phone across the room, where it shattered against the wall. He had to find Sam. He said he'd been close, so maybe he could catch whoever had the gun to. Cas took off out the door, eyes searching everywhere for any sign of Sam. He made his way towards the sidewalk at a run, and ran down in the direction that he'd seen Sam walk in. He walked maybe half a block when he heard a second gunshot, which was closer than he liked.

'' SAM!'' He shouted. He waited for a response, but he never hear anything. What he did hear was heavy footsteps running in his direction. He looked down the street, and saw someone round the corner at a fast pace. The figure was clutching at his left shoulder as he ran.

'' RUN!'' He shouted. That was all Cas needed to hear to know that it was Sam.

'' What happened!?'' Cas asked. Sam stopped for a moment when he reached Cas, stooping over to catch his breath. Cas noticed that the hand at his shoulder was shaking, and was coated with blood.

'' I was shot.'' Sam said. '' He's still shooting at me.'' Another shot rang out, this one hitting a car parked beside them. Sam and Cas looked back, and saw the person rounding the corner with his gun held up.

'' GO!'' Cas pushed Sam forward, forcing him to run back to where the motel sat. He put himself between the shooter and Sam, hoping that any other shots would hit him instead. Yeah it would hurt, but he wouldn't be killed by it. He could hear the person behind them, and he could tell that he was getting closer. Cas looked over his shoulder for a split second to see the man. He saw the barrel of the gun held up as another shot rang out. This one whizzed right past his head, and before he could warn Sam it ran right into his already injured shoulder. Sam stumbled for a moment, shooting off towards the side where the impala sat. Cas ran to where he saw him disappear, but when he got there Sam was gone. The shooter was still behind him, and still had his gun held up. Cas gave a quick look around, searching for anyone who would be on the streets or in any of the nearby stores. He didn't see any, so he let the angel blade he kept tucked away slide out of his sleeve.

'' For my coven!'' The shooter shouted. Cas turned to face the shooter, and drove the angel blade into his chest. The man stopped eyes widening before going cold. Cas let the man slide off his blade before tucking it back into his jacket.

'' Sam?'' Cas looked around, hoping to see where it was Sam was hiding. '' Sam, where are you?'' He walked beside the impala, peering inside the windows to see it maybe he was inside of the car. He was proven wrong not only when he didn't see anything, but when a hand came out to grip at his ankle. Cas looked down, finding the bloody appendage sticking out from under the car. '' Sam, how did you get under there?''

'' Practice.'' Sam mumbled. Cas bent down, pressing himself to the ground to see under the impala. He found Sam there, head turned to him, but his eyes where clamped shut in pain. He could see blood coating the hand closest to him, as well as his shoulder where he'd been shot.

'' Can you move?'' Cas asked.

'' Um..... Yeah, think so.'' Sam said, taking in a shaky breath. '' That last shot went through my hand.'' He said.

'' Come on.'' Cas held out a hand, which Sam took as he began to push himself as best he could out from under the car. Cas had to help a lot more than he'd hoped, only proving that Sam was in more pain then he was letting on. When he had him out, he sat Sam back against the car. Sam let his head fall back, taking quick breaths as he lifted up his bad hand to let it rest in his lap instead of against the asphalt.

'' He got me good.'' Sam muttered. '' Bet I'd be dead had I not started running when I did.''

'' Hold on. this will only take a second.'' Cas set a hand over Sam's shoulder as a light appeared in his hand. He held it there for a moment, watching as the pained expression on Sam's face melted away. When his hand pulled back the bullet holes were gone. '' Now for your hand.'' 

'' Did you hear what he said?'' Sam asked, wincing when Cas held up the bleeding appendage. '' He said he was doing it for his coven.... Someone wants me out of the picture.'' Sam said.

'' Or they want Dean out of the picture.'' Cas said, letting Sam pull out of his grip when his hand was healed. '' Other witches may know of what's been done to the two of you. They may be targeting you to get to Dean.'' Cas suggested.

'' Maybe.'' Sam looked back to where the man lay dead on the sidewalk. '' We've got to get out of here before someone see's him.'' Sam said.

'' Agreed.''

 

\---

 

'' What's that? You were attacked!?'' Ashley yelled into her phone.

_'' Yeah.''_

'' What the hell Sam. We told you to be careful!'' Ashley yelled.

_'' I was! I didn't see the guy till he'd put a bullet through my shoulder.''_

'' What happened to the man?'' Ashley asked.

_'' He's dead. Cas took care of it, but that's not what we're worried about.''_

'' What are you worried about then?''

_'' The person who attacked me told me they were doing it for their coven. They wanted me dead for some reason. Cas says that it may be a sign that someone wants Dean dead, so they're coming after me.''_

'' If that's the case than you're not safe on your own at all. Please tell me you weren't alone when you were shot?''

_'' I was alone.''_

'' SAM! You're just asking to get yourself killed! We warned you about this once already!''

_'' Well sorry that I needed some alone time! I've been a little stressed and freaked out about this whole thing. I just needed to get away!''_

'' Sam.'' Ashley let a heavy sigh leave her lungs. She sunk back into the chair beside her brother, looking over to the information that he was surfing about their lead in Topsham. '' Please, just try not to get killed on us.''

_'' No promises. Have you found anything yet?''_

'' Not much. There are a few locations, but aside from that there's not much we've dug up yet. Hopefully by the time you guys get back tomorrow we'll have more to offer.'' Ashley explained. '' I just don't get why they'd be here of all places. It just doesn't make much sense to me.''

_'' It could be any number of reasons, but that's what the girl told me she saw. We have to trust it, because she was attached to that boy like I am to Dean. Whatever she saw he did to.''_

'' Thomas and I will keep looking, and Sam?''

_'' Yeah?''_

'' Try not to get shot this time around.'' Ashley said.

_'' Like I already said, no promises.''_

'' Goodbye Sam.'' Ashley hung up, letting the phone fall into her lap. She let out a quiet huff, eyes shutting against the on coming headache. '' Thomas, what the hell are we going to do?''

'' We'll figure something out. For now help me search. She's got to be somewhere, we just have to flush her out.'' Thomas said.

'' Right.''

 

\---

 

 Dean had been shocked to say the least at the hours past events. He'd only finished a second fight with a shape shifter, who had been a little to easy to kill. As before he'd seen a picture of Sam in his head when he'd had his arm sliced open, but this time he seemed to be in trouble to. In the picture Sam had been hunched over a girls dying body, and Cas had been with him. Dean only had this sinking suspicion that the girl he'd seen with Sam was connected the same way that he was with his brother. It made Dean feel a little sick to his stomach because he knew that she'd been an innocent and she'd died.

It had been maybe an hour or two later when he felt the pain in his shoulder. It was the same pain he felt any time that he was shot. The ripping feeling of a bullet piercing flesh and bone. He'd seen another flash of his brother, who was running from something while his hand clutched at his shoulder. Dean rested a hand over the wound, putting pressure on it to try and stop the bleeding. Maybe five or ten minutes passed, Dean wasn't quite sure, but then that same pain returned. This time it went through the same shoulder, as well as the palm of his right hand. That brought a strong curse from his mouth. He held the injured hand at a safe distance from his body, watching it shake with pain as another flash filled his vision. He saw Sam shoving himself up under the impala, while Cas was across from him taking care of what ever had shot him.

'' Dammit.'' Deam cursed, head landing against the ground with a thud. It hurt like the dickens, and was starting to make his stomach churn unsteadily. He felt so confused. Why was Sam being shot at? Why was someone trying to kill his brother? Had Sam simply screwed up this time? He wasn't sure what had happened. All he knew was that Sam had gotten hurt, and he couldn't do anything about it. Dean waited for awhile, the pain of the bullet wounds fading to a dull throbbing over time. He forced himself to breath calmly, hoping it would help to distract him from the pain. Maybe ten minutes passed before he noticed there was no more dull throbbing in his shoulder, or his hand. So he took a look for himself, and found that the wounds were gone. Nothing left behind but some blood. Cas must've finally healed Sam, which meant that he was good as new as well. He knew that his brother was OK, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. Dean had a sneaking suspicion that someone was after him for one reason only. He wanted to get to Himself, they wanted Dean dead. Even the thought of it sent a chill up his spine. Going after Sam to get to him, it was just barbaric. If they wanted him dead than why not come and finish him off themselves?

'' What the hell is going on here?'' Dean asked himself. He knew that there wasn't to be another fight until the next day, he'd overheard Miranda saying so. Still, he didn't want to do it. He hated this. He hated being forced to fight, even if what he was fighting was the same thing he'd been hunting his entire life. He hated it so much, but he knew that if he didn't fight then Sam would be hurt again. They'd hurt him first, but it would also hurt Sam. He couldn't let that happen. It was his job to protect his little brother, and that wasn't about to stop just because of a spell. He'd protect Sam to the end, even if it got both of them killed in the end. For now, Dean could only hope that Sam was getting close to finding him, as well as finding a way to reverse the spell. There had to be a way to reverse it, they just had to find it. Worst case scenario, they're stuck like this for awhile. Dean could only hope, and pray that his brother would stay safe.


	10. '' I Refuse.''

Dean's eyes snapped open at the sound of his cell door being opened. When he looked back to the door he saw a familiar figure walk inside. Miranda stood over him, arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at him.

'' What the hell do you want. You know that I'm not going to join your stupid army.'' Dean said.

'' I don't care whether you want to join or not. If you don't join, then you keep fighting, it's as simple as that.'' She said.

'' So what? Am I fighting again?'' Dean muttered, looking away from her.

'' That would be correct. I've had to make a move after one of the rival covens tried pulling something on me.'' She said.

'' What?''

'' They're trying to take put the competition that I've created. It would seem that my spell can be used in two different ways.'' she muttered. '' But that is not important. It's time to go, so either get up and walk, or I'll call in my body guards to carry you over.'' Miranda said.

'' That won't be necessary.'' Dean said, standing from the floor. '' I'd rather not be manhandled again.''

'' Very well then. Follow me.'' Miranda lead Dean down the same hall he'd been lead down at least twice. He could not recall whether this was the hall he'd ben brought down the first time, right before they'd whipped him. He'd been pretty dead set on finding a way out instead of trying to follow what this bitch said. Now he knew that if he disobeyed then they'd hurt Sam by hurting him. He couldn't let that happen, so he had to listen. There was no avoiding being hurt in the arena, but he could do his best. It helped that where ever Sam was, Cas was close by. No matter what it was that hurt him, Cas would heal it through his brother.

It wasn't long before they'd reached the door where he entered the arena. Like before, Miranda handed him a blade, much like the one's he'd been handed when fighting the werewolf and the shifter. The door opened, and without a single shove from the people waiting around him he walked inside. He heard the door shut behind him, and he watched the door across from him, waiting to see what it was he'd be fighting this time. He wasn't sure how long he waited, maybe five or ten minutes, but soon the door finally opened.

'' No. Please, I don't want to do this. Please stop!'' Someone was shoved through the door, their own weapon falling to the floor. On closer inspection it looked to be a girl, probably no older than himself. After being shoved in she stumbled, falling to the floor to land on her knees. Her eyes lifted after a moment, and landed on Dean's still form. She was terrified, watching with horror filled eyes as they began to fill with tears. She saw the blade in his hands, and she almost shrieked. '' No. Don't kill me. Please, don't kill me. Please!'' She begged. Her eyes drifted towards her own weapon that was laying not far away from her. Her hands shook as they stretched out to grab it, but she soon pulled her hand back. She left the knife where it lay, as if she would be hurt if she dared to touch it.

**'' Let the battle begin.''** The intercom said.

'' Don't kill me!'' She yelled.

'' Who are you?'' Dean asked. His hand tightened around the blade. Where they really going to make him fight an innocent? '' What's your name?'' Dean asked.

'' My name?.... My names Tracy. Please, I don't know what happened. I was taken from my home. My husbands all alone with my baby. Please. I don't want to he here.'' She begged. Tears ran down her face. Dean took a step forward, letting the hand with the blade fall behind him.

'' OK Tracy... My name's Dean. I was taken to. I was taken while trying to protect my little brother.'' Dean said.

'' Why are you telling me this? Where am I?'' Tracy asked.

'' You're in what they like to call the arena.'' Dean explained. '' They're forcing us to fight it out to the death in here. I've already had two fights, this is my third.''

'' I don't want to be here. Please, Dean, help me. Get me out of here, please.'' Tracy begged. Dean took another step forward.

'' I don't think that I can help get you out of here.'' He said.

'' Please. There's got to be a way.'' She said.

'' I've already tried, and all that got me was a whipping.'' Dean said. '' This is the only way out, you either win or you die.'' Dean said. '' But-'' The grip he had on the blade fell lax, and the item soon slipped from his hands. It clattered against the ground, making a metallic bang.

'' What are you-''

'' I can't.'' Dean whispered. '' I'm sorry, I can't kill an innocent.'' There was a bang behind Dean, and when he turned around to see who it was Miranda was standing there with one of her guards at her side.

'' What the hell are you doing? Do you want your brother to be harmed? Kill her now!'' Miranda demanded.

'' I won't kill an innocent.'' Dean said. '' The monsters you've thrown at me I can handle. They will kill, it's only a matter of time, but this girl.... She's an innocent person who has a family. You've taken her away from her home, and doomed her to die.''

'' I don't care what we did to her. We have to create our army's somehow. Sacrifices must be made for the great or good.'' Miranda stated.

'' For the great or good!? You've threatened innocent people, forced others to die, and you've attacked people that I care about. You attacked my brother! I can't forgive that!'' Dean yelled.

'' KILL HER!' 'Miranda screamed.

'' NO!'' Miranda's face scrunched in anger as she took a step into the room.

'' Call the fight off!'' She called. '' I'll handle this one myself. She is to be dealt with just the same as him.'' Miranda said.

'' What are you doing?'' Tracy asked, watching as Miranda made her way across the room. Miranda stooped over, and grabbed the blade that she'd dropped on the floor. '' No... No, please. Don't kill me.'' She begged.

'' Stop.'' Dean reached out, Miranda's arm being snatched in a tight grip. '' Don't hurt her. Let her go, do what ever you want to me. Just let her go.'' Dean said.

'' Let her go? She's seen to much. She'll go to the police, and she'll rat us out. We can't let that happen. They'll raid our place. They're going to ruin everything.'' Miranda seethed.

'' Just let her go!'' Dean demanded. Miranda gave him an angry look, then lashed out with her free arm. She took the blade, and brought it down into Dean's arm. He felt it scrape against the bone as he let out a string of curses followed by a pained scream. Miranda wrenched the blade free of his arm, and threw his aside. He landed on the ground, hitting hard as he held his arm close to his chest.

'' You'll get more where that came from Dean! You've no idea what you've done not only to yourself, but to your brother.'' She said. Dean looked up to Miranda, hate buried deep in his eyes as he saw her turn away. His eyes then strayed to look to Tracy, who's own eyes where wide as saucers.

'' No. Please, NO!'' Tracy screamed as the knife was brought up, and Dean had to look away as the blade pierced her in the heart. Tracy let off one last scream, and then the room fell silent. There were now only two living souls inside the arena.

'' Get him out of here. You know what to do this time.'' Miranda spoke. Dean felt hands pulling him up off the floor, and a wave of panic ran through his mind. He was going to be tortured like before, which meant that Sam was going to be hurt as well. He only hoped, and desperately prayed, that what ever they were planning this time around could be healed. He could only pray.

_I'm sorry Sammy._

 

_\---_

 

''... Dean?''

Sam cracked his eyes open as he pulled himself out of sleep. He felt the roar of the engine through the bench of the impala's front seat. Cas was in the drivers seat, eyes glancing from the road to him.

'' Sam, is something wrong?'' Cas asked. Sam blinked a few times, trying to remember what he'd seen while asleep, but not quite remembering. He went to push himself up a little, realizing that he'd slid down on the seat, but he caught sight of blood coating his sleeve. He jumped at the sight, panic rushing through him as he tried to find the source of the blood. However, when he pulled the sleeve back, there wasn't a single mark there. It was just smooth skin.

'' What the hell?''

'' I would appear that Dean has been attacked again. It happened while you were asleep, but don't worry. I healed it.'' Cas explained.

'' I... I see.'' Sam mumbled, eyes drifting to the window. They were getting close to the bunker now, probably only a few miles out. '' I saw something.'' Sam said.

'' What did you see?'' Cas asked.

'' I saw Dean. He was with two girls, but one of them was attacking the other. I think that's how he got hurt. He must've been hurt trying to protect one of them.'' Sam explained. '' They're making him do something. I don't know what, but they're making him do something.''

'' We'll figure it out Sam. We're getting close.'' Cas said.

'' I know.'' Sam let his head rest against the glass of the window, the cold feeling of it soothing. He couldn't get those images out of his mind. Images of Dean being forced to kill, forced to fight, forced to be tortured. He just wanted his brother back. He wanted Dean to be safe, not forced to fight for his life. His eyes slid shut for a moment, staying that way as the impala jerked on the road. He felt the car come to a stop, and when he opened his eyes he saw the outline of the bunker. He made to open his door, gripping the handle as he pushed it open.

'' Ashley and Thomas may have something for us.'' Cas reminded.

'' She told me before.'' Sam said, shutting his door. Something was off. Something didn't feel right to him. It was like he could tell something bad was about to happen.

Cas was already making his way towards the door, glancing back when he realized that Sam hadn't moved an inch.

'' Sam?''

'' I'm coming.'' Sam said, taking a few steps forward. He was within a foot of the cement staircase when a pain struck his side. It lit him up, causing him to stumble forward. His foot missed the step, and Sam soon found himself tumbling head over heals down the steps.

'' Sam!'' Cas caught him about half way, leaning him against the wall as he took ragged breaths. Sam had a hand pressed firmly to his side, and only pulled it away for a second. When he did, there was blood.

'' It's Dean.'' Sam said. '' They're hurting him-'' Sam let out a painful scream as he felt something drive into his side again, and more blood soaked his clothing. Cas reached out, hand resting on Sam's side. He healed the wound quickly, knowing that such an injury if left unattended to would kill him. When it looked to be healed Cas made a move to get Sam off the ground.

'' We need to get inside.'' Cas said. '' Come on.'' He helped get Sam to a standing position, quickly throwing one of his arms over his own shoulder to support him. If they really were torturing Dean again then there was a good chance that there was more to come, and Sam would need help. He worked the rest of the way to the door, opening it as quickly as he could. He didn't bother to close it, knowing that the door would shut on its own. He walked as fast as he could with Sam, hoping to get him to a bed or at least a chair so if his legs gave out he wouldn't go down. That hope was dashed when he felt Sam jerk again, and a strangled scream slipped out.

'' Dammit!'' Sam cursed.

'' ASHLEY! THOMAS, WE NEED SOME HELP!'' Cas yelled as he reached the metal stair case. There were heavy footsteps coming in, and when he looked back up Thomas had rounded the corner.

'' Cas!... Oh my God, what happened?'' Thomas rushed up to them, taking Sam's other arm and throwing it over his shoulders. '' What the hell happened to him?'' Thomas asked.

'' They've gotten to Dean again.'' Cas said, working his way down the stairs. Sam let out another painful cry, and then Thomas felt something warm coat his arm that was looped around Sam's back. He looked towards his back, and found blood starting to soak through Sam's shirt.

'' Can't you heal him?'' Thomas asked.

'' They're hurting him so fast that I can barely keep up. I think they realized what we've been doing to keep them alive.'' Cas said.

'' Oh my God!'' Cas glanced over as they reached the bottom step to find Ashley standing there. Her eyes were wide with shock and horror.

'' Ash, go get a chair or something! He can't walk.'' Thomas said. Ashley rushed over to the map table, wrenching one of the chairs out from under it. She brought it over to them, backing up as they lowered Sam into it. He let out another strangled scream, his body tensing up as he tried to endure another stab to his stomach and back.

'' Why are they doing this?'' Ashley whispered.

'' They wanted something from Dean. I'd say that he didn't listen.'' Cas said, hand resting on the new wounds, only to move as two more were added on top of those. Sam was screaming bloody murder, throat growing sore and hoarse. '' All I can do is heal it. I can't stop them from here.'' Cas explained.

'' We'll wait it out.'' Thomas said. Ashley stepped forward, hand landing on Sam's shaking shoulder.

'' Sam. Please hang on.'' She begged. Sam's head fell against her arm, and she soon felt a shaky hand reach up to lay over her own.

'' Don't.... go.'' Sam mumbled.

'' I'm not going anywhere.'' She said. Ashley reached out with her telepathy, hoping to distract Sam long enough for Cas to keep up his healing without him thrashing around. She just hoped that this would end, and that if it didn't that Cas could keep up, or else they were going to loose him.


	11. We've found him

The torture had lasted hours. Dean had lost track around the third, when they'd decided to try carving symbols into his forehead and chest. Every time they started something new, the pain would go away fast. It was there one second, and gone the next. Dean had no way to explain it other than the fact that Sam was getting help. Now, in what had to be at least the fifth or sixth hour of his torture, things were starting to wane down.

The guard on top of him had a death grip on his neck, currently choking him to death. He couldn't breath, and the air trapped in his lungs couldn't escape. He was starting to think that they'd decided to kill him. If that was the case, than they've chosen the one way that Cas wouldn't be able to stop.

'' That's enough. She didn't want him to die.'' Someone said. The weight on him chest lifted, and soon the hands fell away. Dean took in a gasp of air, choking as he coughed violently.

'' What ever. Our fun time was done anyway.'' He said. Dean glared at his attackers, or at least what he could see of them. There seemed to be at least four of them, but he could've sworn that there were only two of them. He heard the heavy sound of a door slamming, and then he was left alone. He let his forehead rest against the cold ground, taking in long deep breaths as he tried to get his heart rate under control.

He could still see the images the link left with him. The images of Sam struggling and fighting for every breath that was being choked out of him by an invisible force. Sam had been scared, his hands clawing at his throat while the other reached out to Cas who was a blob towards the edge of the image, and then to Ashley who was right at his side trying to help however she could. He felt so guilty for causing this to him. He knew by now that Sam could breath, but that didn't help him to forget the fact that all those hours of torture that he'd been forced through had also been felt by Sam. Dean turned onto his stomach, burying his face into his arms to hide the fact that his face was soaked in tears.

'' Sammy. I'm sorry.'' Dean mumbled before he blacked out.

 

\---

 

It had been hours since the torture had started.

Sam had been in and out of it the entire time, head becoming muddled with pain, and the mind meld Ashley was using to calm him. He wouldn't lie, her trick helped, but when the pain became unbearable he couldn't help but scream. The tearing, burning cutting, all of it, it was just to much for him. It was like he was trapped back in the cage again with Lucifer, only this was nothing compared to some of the things that the devil had done to him.

Cas had done his best, but now there seemed to be nothing he could do to stop what was happening. What ever was attacking Dean was currently trying to choke him to death. Neither Cas, or Ashley could do anything to stop the torture. They could only watch, and hope that what ever was choking Dean would stop before they died, because Sam was well on his way to dying. His face was pale, and his lips were starting to turn blue.

Sam's eyes darted up to Ashley, who still had a hand on his shoulder. He was practically begging her to make it stop, to make the crushing pain in his throat go away. He couldn't breath, the crushing pressure on his neck growing stronger every second. He knew just as well as they did that there was nothing they could do. It didn't stop him from reaching out, while the other hand clawed at his throat like his life depended on it.

'' I'm sorry Sam... I can't do anything.'' Ashley sobbed, tears slipping from her eyes. He was suffering, and there was nothing she could do but let him know he wasn't alone. His eyes bore into hers, fear buried deep inside. More tears fell from Ashley's eyes when she saw Sam shed tears of his own. Sam's face was growing pale, and his eyes glazed over as they started to look unfocused. They rolled back for a moment, but then they shot wide open. Ashley jerked back, and Cas stood from the chair he'd been seated in as Sam took in a large gulp of air. He breathed quickly, bending forward to place his head between his knees.

'' Sam?'' Ashley and Cas watched as Sam shook with every breath, hands moving to rest on his head as he began to rock slightly. If they listened closely, they could hear something that sounded like mumbling. When they got closer, they could make out what he was saying.

'' I can't do this. I can't do this... I have to get him out. I have to save Dean. I have to get him out.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Sam? Please.'' Ashley looked from Cas to Sam. The angel was rather confused himself, but even he knew that Sam needed some comfort. So when Ashley took a step towards him, he never stopped her. Ashley knelt in front of Sam, one of her hands lifting to pull at the ones currently gripping his hair. She barely touched him, and the rocking stopped. Sam looked up to her, eyes lost in the pain and emotion he'd been forced through. Ashley's heart bled for him, and before she knew it she was reaching out to him. She wrapped her arms around him, and held him close. Sam was taken aback by the embrace, hands hovering away from both himself and Ashley. Maybe a moment passed before she caved, and let his hands wrap around her frame. His head fell onto her shoulder, and he let out a shaky breath.

'' We.... We need to get him out of there.'' Sam said.

'' I know Sam. We're getting close, we just need to find where in Topshan he's being held.'' Ashley said. '' There's leads there. Mane leads, so it's got to be there base.'' She added.

'' They're going to kill him.'' Sam said.

'' No they won't, because we're going to get there first.'' Ashley said.

'' I hope you're right.''

 

\---

 

The door to Sam's room slid shut to hide the view of the sleeping Winchester who lay inside. Sam was sprawled on the bed, hands resting at his side, and his head tilted to the side. When the click of the doors lock sounded, Cas looked up to them.

'' He asleep?'' Ashley asked.

'' For now. After what you told him I don't think it will last long.'' Cas said.

'' It's good enough for me.'' Ashley said. '' He can't go to Topshan like that. He needs his rest.''

'' He's not going to get it if you keep babying him like that.'' Thomas but in.

'' Thomas. Shut up!'' Ashley snapped, hand pointing at him. '' Or I swear I will throw you down that hall.''

'' You wouldn't dare.'' Thomas said.

'' Try me.''

'' Enough.'' Cas stepped between the bickering siblings, hands held out to each of them. '' Fighting's not what we need right now. You need to be working together. Have you found there hideout yet?'' Cas asked.

'' Not yet. The testimony's I found online weren't much to go off of. They only confirmed my suspisions that there base is somewhere in Topshan. We just have to find it.'' Thomas said.

'' Video feed. Did it show anything?'' Cas asked.

'' From what I saw, it only had one glimpse of any of the witches that attacked them.'' Ashley explained. '' The one that was in the footage from the night that Sam was attacked was there. She was taking another captive, which was a young women. She was lucky thought, they couldn't connect her to anyone like they did with Dean and Sam.''

'' That's a good thing though. It means that more people are being saved than being killed.'' Cas said.

'' What ever the case, we know they're there. When Sam wakes up I say we burn rubber, and get up there as fast as we can. There are a few locations that they could be in, we just have to check them out.'' Ashley said. '' Dean's got to be there. If all this activity is there, then that has to be where they're keeping him.''

'' I agree with her. If they're really going to kill Dean then we have no time to waist. It's at least a three day drive from here to get to Maine.'' Thomas said.

'' Then that's what we do.'' Cas said. The angel began to turn away.

'' Wait Cas.'' Ashley called out.

'' What's the matter?'' Cas turned back to face them.

'' I need to talk to you for a moment.'' Ashley said.

'' What do you need to talk about?''

 

\---

 

'' You've been more trouble than you're worth. I can't believe I actually thought I could get a Winchester onto my army. It looks like that spell was a waste.''

'' So you're saying that you regret what you've done?'' Dean questioned. Miranda had come to see him, but not before having her guards string him up. His arms were bound tightly behind his back, and attached to the wall so he couldn't run. '' You should regret what you've done. I will kill you, it's only a matter of time.'' Dean said.

'' You can't kill me.'' She said. '' Now, I have one thing to say, and one thing alone.'' She said.

'' Oh yeah.'' Dean taunted.

'' I am giving you one last chance to do as I say. You either do as you're told, and follow my every command, or you'll be killed along with your brother. I won't hesitate this time. I will forebode the torture, and I will stab you through the heart myself.'' Miranda said. '' It would be my pleasure to end you myself.''

'' If I say no?''

'' Then you'll die.'' She said. '' It's a simple choice Dean, and here I thought you wanted to keep your brother safe. Now how are you keeping him safe if you're forfeiting your life to me? You aren't protecting him, you are letting him die.''

'' Shut it you bitch.'' Dean seethed. '' Stop using him against me.''

'' I'll use him all I want. As it is, he killed a member of the other covens here.'' She said.

'' Then kudos to him for doing his job.'' Dean said.

'' What ever. Get some rest or something. Tomorrow you will chose whether you live or die.'' She said. Miranda turned on her heel, and began to leave the room. Dean watched her leave with malice in his eyes. She was truly a bitch, using people to get what she wanted.

'' I'm going to kill you bitch. It's only a matter of time.'' He mumbled as the door to his cell was closed.

 

\---

 

The impala ate up the road under them as they zoomed down the hallway. Sam was in the drivers seat, eyes set on his destination, which was still two days out. Cas was seated next to him, his own face set in concentration as he read over the newest reports that they'd found before leaving. Glancing up into the rearview mirror, Sam found the outline of the truck that the Zarola siblings shared. They were following close behind, both siblings watching him carefully.

'' He's got to be there.'' Sam whispered, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them. Cas glanced towards Sam, the papers in his lap temporarily abandoned.

'' We'll know when we get there Sam.'' Cas said. '' They've got him hidden away, but we'll find him.''

'' I just hope that we aren't too late.'' Sam said.

'' If we are, then you know what's going to happen.'' Cas warned.

'' I know.'' Sam didn't want to think of that either. He knew that if they were too late than he was going to die as well. If he died, then they'd failed in saving Dean in time. So instead he focused on the road ahead of him. He focused on the task at hand, finding his brother, reversing this spell, and ganking the SOB's that had taken Dean. '' Cas, are you sure that you'll be able to reverse this?'' Sam asked.

'' She's connected your soul with his. No magic can reverse that, but maybe an angel can. I should be able to do it.'' Cas said.

'' I hope so, or else Dean and I are stuck like this.'' Sam said.

'' I will do my best.'' Cas said. Sam glanced over at Cas out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but feel grateful for the angel putting up with all of this. He knew that Cas wanted Dean safe just as much as he did, so Sam thought that had something to do with it. Sam's eyes drifted back to the road, and he pushed the car faster as they drove past the sign for the state line into Ohio.


	12. Crash and Burn

The door to Dean's cell opened once more, and Miranda strode inside.

'' Hello again Dean. So have you made up your mind again?'' She asked. Dean held his head up from where it had been resting against his chest. He gave her an evil eye, pouring as much anger and malice as he could into the stare. '' I'm not hearing an answer. Should I take your silence as a no, and go ahead and kill you?'' She asked.

'' You wouldn't dare.'' He said. '' Because I'm not letting you kill Sam. So you can't kill me.''

'' I can kill you if you don't do as I say. So are you going to do as I say or not?'' Miranda asked. '' I won't ask again. Make up your minds Dean Winchester. Time is short.'' She said. Dean looked away from her, testing the bonds on his hands again. He'd been doing this off and on all night, hoping that at some point they would give just enough for him to break free. He'd been unlucky so far, so why would that change now?

'' If I fight then Sam lives. Do I really have to say it?'' Dean asked.

'' Very well then.'' Miranda gestured to the door, where two of her guards came in. They walked over to Dean, and one of them procured a knife. They cut the ropes binding his arms, and they both hauled Dean to his feat. '' Your next fight awaits. Lets go. You win this one, and you're joining my ranks.'' She said.

'' What ever.'' Dean scoffed.

'' Watch your mouth.'' She warned. She began to walk, and the guards dragged Dean along with them. Their grip on him never faltered, meaning that they had finally had enough of him. They were on their last straw, and if he stepped out of line again then he was going to pay the price with his own life. He wasn't going to let that happen.

The door to the arena came into view, and Miranda threw the door open. The guards brought him up to the door, and one of them shoved the silver blade into his hands, while the other shoved him inside. The door slammed shut behind him, and he was left alone in the small room to await his new fighter. It didn't take long for the door to open, and another figure walked into the room. This figure was yet again a girl, who was about his height surprisingly. She was holding a knife as well, alerting him to the fact that he was either fighting another shifter, or just a normal person. The way that this girl stayed calm was uncanny. It made his nerves sit on edge as he watched for her to make a move.

**Let the battle begin!**

'' With pleasure.'' The girl spoke. Dean held up the knife to fight as she ran at him. He dodged her first attack, which was a kill shot that would've hit his chest. Dean took his own knife, and brought it down as she ran past him. He felt it connect with something, but when the girl backed away to gain some distance, he saw that he'd only ripped her shirt a little. He hadn't gotten a single attack in yet. He went on the offensive really quick, holding up his knife as he ran for the girl. She saw this coming, and jumped out of the way, only to land beside of Dean. He spun around just as she was bringing the knife down to strike his back. He took his own, and struck her hand. He hit skin, and blood dripped from the tip of his blade as the girl let go of her own.

'' That's a dirty move there. How long have you even been in this place?'' Dean asked, stepping back as the girl turned to retrieve her knife. He tried to kick it out of the way, but she got to it first. She was on top of Dean in a second, the knife at his throat.

'' I've been here for almost two years. I've learned the trick of the trade. '' She said. '' I've learned the best ways to make a man squirm when under the knife. I've learned how to kill almost all the monsters that exist, including demons and angels. I've killed almost everything.''

'' So you're a murderer then. You've killed innocents haven't you?''

'' So what? They'd kill me if I didn't kill them first. That's the rules of the arena.'' The girl said.

'' I wouldn't be so sure!'' Dean drove his knife into the girls hand, and she pulled back while still keeping the grip on her own knife. Dean pulled his knife free of the girls hand, moving in for the last move. She saw this coming, and made a move of her own. She took her knife, and thrust it forward. She struck Dean's arm, causing a deep slash, but it didn't have its intended affect.

'' What the hell?'' She questioned.

'' You say that you've killed all types of creatures to.'' Dean said. '' Well, I've killed monsters since I was a kid. I know much more than you, like the fact that you are a monster, and you are killing innocent people.'' Dean said. He held up the knife as he grabbed a handful of her shirt in his hands.

'' In my eyes, you are a monster yourself.'' The girl said to Dean.

'' Well. In my eyes a person who kills an innocent is a person who deserves to die.'' Dean pressed the knife to her chest, and in one swift push it went into her heart. She jerked, eyes widening at the feeling. Then her eyes grew cold, and glazed over as she slid free of Dean's grip. The knife was still buried deep in her chest, where it stayed. Dean hated having to kill people, but in his eyes this one needed to die, or more innocent people would die at her hands.

**We have a winner!**

The doors opened, and like the other times he'd been forced to fight Dean was lead back to that small room they called a cell.

 

\---

 

They were on the last legs of the drive. Sam had switched out with Cas on driving, realizing that he was about to pass out while behind the wheel. They hadn't been stopping much. True, they'd hit up a few motels, and stopped for meals, but other than that he wasn't resting. So when ever he could no longer keep his eyes open, he'd pull over and let Cas take the wheel. Now was one of those times.

Sam had his head resting against the window, the cool touch of it soothing to the headache that was starting to come on. He was so tired, and all he wanted was a soft bed to sleep in, but the passenger seat of the impala would have to do until they reached Topshan. He could get a motel, and catch a few hours at least with the Zarola siblings before they start searching. They needed to start searching for Dean, but none of them could do that if they were so tired that they could barely keep their eyes open.

'' Sam, are you still awake?'' Cas asked, looking over to him for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road.

'' Yeah. I can't sleep.'' Sam mumbled, letting his eyes drift back open to the rainy scene outside. Towns zoomed by outside as they drove. '' I guess I'm just a little worried.'' He said.

'' Don't be. We're going to find him.'' Cas said.

'' I know, but something just doesn't feel right.'' Sam said. '' Something's wrong. I just can't explain it, but something's wrong. I can feel it.''

'' You're tired Sam. You just need some sleep.'' Cas said. '' Do you want me to-''

'' Don't.'' Sam warned, stopping Cas before he could even suggest that he knock him out so he'd sleep. He didn't want that to happen. They'd already seen what happened when Dean got knocked out. If he was being forced to fight someone now, and Sam was knocked out then Dean could be in for it. '' I  don't want to be knocked out Cas, so loose the idea.'' Sam said. His eyes drifted back to the window, gazing at the rain drops that landed on the window. They ran across the glass to join the drops that had fallen long before. Sam found the sight mesmerizing, and noticed that it seemed to make him relax. He sank into the seat a little, letting his eyes begin to drift shut. They were almost completely shut, but a glint of red caught him off guard. He looked up just in time to see the bumper of another car only feet away from them. Sam had no time to warn Cas before the car was being driven right into them.

Sam felt his head smack off the glass at the harsh impact, and the passenger door was crushed inwards. He was thrown around, smacking into Cas who was trying to stop the car from moving. There was a sickening slap of something, following by glass shattering, and then the car started to spin uncontrollably. Sam couldn't open his eyes, the car spinning so much that he felt sick to his stomach. He wasn't sure how long they were spinning for, but when the car started to slow there was another jerk. The door on the passenger side was pushed in further, and then Sam felt the car take one final turn which caused him to jerk in his seat. His head cracked off the door frame, and his vision blurred dangerously as blood began to soak his hair. The car became motionless, giving Sam the chance to realize what had just happened.

 

\---

 

'' STOP!'' Thomas slammed on the brakes when he saw the red car come up and smack the impala in the side. The Zarola's watched in horror as the car was thrown around like a piece of garbage, spinning wildly before being hit in the side a second time by the same car. Both car's came to a stop just as their own did.

'' Oh my god!'' Thomas mumbled.

'' They're still inside!'' Ashley yelled, throwing her door open. She jumped out onto the road, not even bothering to shut the door as she began to run to where the impala sat. Thomas wasn't far behind, but his target wasn't the car. He was going after the person in the red car, who was still pinning it against the passenger side. Ashley ran to the drivers side door first, since it was the only one that she could reach at the moment. She barely had to pull the handle to get the door open. The opening of said door revealed Cas, who was struggling to get the seat belt off of himself. There was blood on his face, telling her that he must've hit the steering wheel while in free spin. It also looked like his legs may have been pinned, but that wasn't stopping him from trying to get free.

'' Are you guys alright?'' Ashley asked.

'' Sam's pinned.'' Cas said. '' I think the seat belts jammed. I need to cut it.''

'' Here.'' Ashley handed over the pocket knife she always carried. Cas took it, and began to saw through the material of the belt. She heard a groan from deeper inside the car, followed by the reving of an engine. Ashley's eyes shot up to find the red car, and her heart almost stopped when it saw the car backing up to hit again.

'' Get back!'' Ashley jumped out of the way just in time, because the red car rammed the passenger side again, sending it skidding a few feet away from them. She looked back to where the impala had stopped, and found the red car yet again pinned to the passenger side. However, Thomas had his arms inside the drivers side window of the red car, and was beating the hell out of who ever was behind the wheel. Ashley pushed herself to her feet, rushing back to the impala just as Cas was pulling himself free. He stumbled a foot or so away, but soon fell to his knees.

'' Cas?'' Ashley rushed over to him to help get him standing again, but Cas waved her off.

'' Get Sam. He's still inside.'' Cas said. Ashley's eyes flew over to the car, and just as Cas said, she could still see Sam inside. He was trying to slide across the seat to get out, but it seemed that something was pinning him. She rushed over to the drivers side door, Bending down to peer inside the door.

'' Sam?'' Ashley called out.

'' Ashley.'' Sam returned. '' I'm pinned. I can't move my leg.'' Sam said, looking out to her. Ashley could see the blood across his face from the glass, and from where he must've hit his head. His eyes were still clear, alerting her to the fact that he didn't have a concussion. Yet that it. That car could make another move, which could kill him this time.

'' Can you move at all Sam?'' She asked, climbing in to get a better look at what was pinning him.

'' Yeah, but my leg.'' He tested the appendage, but all that did was cause him to pale further than he was, and for his face to scrunch up in pain.

'' Don't move Sam. Just hold on.'' Ashley backed out of the impala, running around to where the red car sat backing up again. However, Thomas still had his arms in the drivers window, and was fighting with the wheel. That gave her a fifty fifty chance of making this work. She took a quick look at the door, noticing the way that it was crushed inwards. It must've been what was pinning his leg. Ashley tried the handle, hoping that it would work, but it never budged. The thing was jammed shut, the crash had totaled it. She could see Sam through the broken window, and saw that he was watching her to find out what she was going to do. There was one way she knew she could get the door off, but she wasn't sure if it would work. There was only one way to find out, and that was she had to try.

The red car behind her began to drive back at them, and she and Sam watched in horror as it got closer. At the very last second, when it seemed that it was going to hit them again, Thomas managed to get the car to swerve to the left, where it drove down the road a good ways. Ashley focused her attention back on the door.

'' Hurry.'' Sam said.

'' I know.'' Ashley shot back, holding out one of her hands. She slid her eyes closed, imagining the outline of the door, the shape of it, and how it was positioned. From there, she was able to get a good telekinetic grip on it. She gripper her hand into a fist, and began to pull it towards her chest. As her hand moved the door began to pull free. Through the sound of the metal bending, she heard Sam cry out as his leg was freed. She pulled the door back as far as she could, and held it there. '' Sam. Try to crawl across the seat, I can't hold this forever.'' Ashley said. She saw Sam begin to move across the seat, and when she deemed it a safe distance her hold on the door let go. The car jerked with the force of the door popping back to where it had been before. She rushed around the side of the car, coming up on the drivers door as Sam was pulling himself out onto the road.

Sam spilled out onto the concrete landing on his back beside the car. Ashley knelt beside of him, eyes searching him for any injuries. Sam still had blood on his face, but the new light illuminated the injuries where said blood had come from. A quick glance down at his leg revealed blood covered denim, and the leg was twisted oddly. It was clearly broken.

'' My leg.'' Sam groaned.

'' Your legs broken Sam. Try not to move.'' Ashley said. She made a move towards the broken appendage, but was cut off at the roar of a nearby engine. Ashley glanced behind her, and saw the red car, but this time Thomas was nowhere to be seen. Someone was stepping out of the car, and he was holding what looked like a small pouch in his hand. It didn't take much for either hunter to realize that it was a hex bag.

'' We knew you'd be coming.'' He spoke.

'' NO!'' Cas was in front of them in a second as the hex bag was thrown. There was a bright flash, followed by a loud ringing in Sam's ears. The light engulfed him, and then darkness fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a longer chapter, but when I got this idea for it I had to get it down. I just hope that you're liking this story. Comments are appreciated. Enjoy the rest of the story.


	13. Connection

Blurriness was all he saw when his eyes opened again. They wouldn't focus on anything, and he couldn't hear much either. It was just static.

'' Sam.... Hey, can you hear me?''

He could barely make out what the person was saying, but he could tell it was a girl.

'' Come one Sam. Wake up.''

He cracked his eyes open again, not even realizing that he'd closed them. The blurriness wasn't as bad as before, but all he saw was a white ceiling. The ciling was gone after a moment, replaced by an image of  a girls face leaning over him.

'' Sam?'' He knew that face. It was Ashley. Sam groaned as he tried to push himself up to a siting position. When he got about halfway there was a pressure on his shoulder, and he found himself pressed to the floor again. '' What are you-''

'' You were hurt pretty bad Sam, just take it easy.'' Ashley said, taking her hands off of him when she was sure that he wouldn't move again. '' Do you remember what happened?'' She asked. Was she kidding? Of course he remembered what happened. The impala had been trashed. Dean was going to kill him when he found out. It then dawned on him that during the crash his leg had been pinned, and because of that the bone had snapped. He'd broken his leg, but he didn't feel any pain. Either Cas had done something, or they had him on some good stuff.

'' My leg.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Cas took care of it. He must've healed it in that blast of light he used to ward off the hex bag.'' Ashley said.

'' Where are we?'' Sam asked.

'' Not sure. I blacked out after that bright light. When I came to we were here, my brother and Cas nowhere to be seen.'' Ashley duck her head slightly. '' I hope he's alright. I didn't see him after I got you out of the impala.'' She said.

'' Your brothers stubborn like Dean. I bet he's fine.'' Sam said.

'' I hope so.'' Sam began to push himself back up again, Ashley not bothering to stop him this time. He got to a sitting position, glancing down to check his leg. It was truly healed. His pants leg was still blood soaked, but his leg was no longer broken. The cuts on his face were no longer there, but he could still feel the stickiness of the blood caked into his hair.

'' Do you know if they're here maybe?'' Sam asked.

'' No idea. I only know that we're stuck where ever here is.'' Ashley said. '' I'm worried Sam. Something's just not right.''

'' I agree with you on that much.'' Sam said. Silence fell again, giving the room a rather strong mood of helplessness. They had no idea where they were, where half of their group was, or how they were getting out of here. All of it was just a big mess of things that should never had happened in the first place. All they could do was wait, and see if there was any way out of this place, where ever this place was.

 

\---

 

Dean had seen everything when Sam had crashed in the impala. He'd seen how he'd been trapped inside by that red car, and how the car kept ramming into the side of the impala. Sam had been hurt. He'd felt the snap in his leg, but then everything was dark. Dean didn't see anything else from Sam's point of view. It was just darkness. Maybe an hour or two passed, and then he felt his leg go numb as the bone snapped back into place. He could only assume that it had been thanks to Cas. He had been with Sam when they crashed, so he must've done something.

Dean began to let his mind wander, knowing that he'd be alone for awhile still. He'd gotten pretty good at this, letting his mind wander to places that he remembered, or a place that he needed to be. It was a quick way to pass time, and to keep his mind off the situation at hand. He would remember times from when he was a kid, and he'd have to take care of Sam while their father would be on a hunt. He would think about things he wanted to do after this was all over, like go on a good hunt that didn't involve witches. He swore on his life that he never wanted to hunt a witches coven again. They were bad shit crazy, and only cared about their own goals. He wanted them dead. He wanted them dead, and this whole situation pushed aside so they could focus on taking care of the other situation. Getting this soul link taken care of. They had to break it, or else it would truly be the death of them.

Dean didn't know how far he'd gotten into his mind, but he'd felt something. It was familiar, a presence that he knew very well. His eyes shot open, and a gasp reached past his lips.

'' Sam.'' He'd sensed his brother. Sam was nearby, somewhere. He just knew it. He knew his brother better than anything else, and that was him, but what the hell was he doing here? Unless..... The crash. '' Son of a bitch.'' Dean cursed. Someone had purposefully crashed into them, knowing that Sam was there. They'd known his brother was there, and crashed just to get to him. That would explain why he was here. They wanted Sam just as much as they wanted himself. Dean was pissed to say the least. They hurt his brother, now they were going to hurt, but he had to get free first. If only he had that knife like when he's in the arena, then he could drive it into that Miranda bitch's neck. He wanted her dead more than he ever had before now.

Dean tried reaching deep again to sense him, trying over and over again. Every time he tried he could feel the presence, but it was weak, like he wasn't close enough to him. They must have him tucked away if he's truly here. Dean could only hope that Sam was safe, and hopefully with someone that they both knew. He knew that he'd been with Ashley and Cas, and Thomas must've been around somewhere to. One of them had to be with Sam right now, or at least he hoped.

 

\---

 

Sam's eyes popped open at the feeling of someone watching him. He knew that presence, he'd known it his whole life.

'' Dean.''

'' What?'' Sam's eyes drifted up to Ashley, who was leaning against the wall beside him. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, but her head was turned towards him. '' What about Dean?'' She asked.

'' Wha- uh....'' Sam shook his head for a moment, wondering if he'd just been imagining it. Maybe he just thought that he'd sensed something. Maybe it was just a coincidence. '' It's nothing. Don't worry, try to get some rest Ashley.'' Sam said.

'' Sam, I can see right through you.'' Ashley said. She slid against the wall for a moment, her head landing on Sam's shoulder. Her eyes shut in concentration as she began to search his thoughts, and Sam didn't fight her. He didn't care if she saw what he had because he wasn't even sure if it was real himself. Ashley was quiet for the longest moment, before she spoke up.

'' You sensed Dean, didn't you Sam?'' She asked in a solemn voice.

'' Yeah, but I don't know why I did.'' He said.

'' There may be a reason why.'' She said. '' We may have been taken by the same coven that's holding him. If so, then he's here somewhere.''

'' If he is, then he's going to tear down these walls to search for us when he realized we're here.'' Sam said.

'' If he realizes.'' Ashley shut her eyes again, her head remaining of Sam's shoulder. He never made a move to push her away, letting her have the little comfort that it was. He knew that she was upset. She'd seen her brother thrown off that car like a rag doll, and now she had no clue whether he was even alive or not. He'd seen this side of her twice before. Once when he'd been possessed by a demon, and a second time when they'd faced a Russian witch named Baba Yaga. She had this aura that screamed _I can't loose him'._

'' He'll realize. It's only a matter of time.'' Sam brought up one of his arms, wrapping it around Ashley's shoulders to pull her close. '' Get some sleep Ashley. Who knows how long we're going to be here.''

'' Sam?''

'' Yeah?''

'' What do you think happened to Cas?'' She asked, adjusting herself so her head was still resting comfortably against him.

'' Honestly I'm not sure.'' He said. They'd all seen Cas jump in front of that hex bag, and the flash that followed, but now the angel was gone. '' I'll bet that they're holding him somewhere else, afraid that he can still zap around the place when he really can't anymore.''

'' I see.'' Ashley got a strange look on her face, one that almost looked like she was upset with his answer.

'' Why are you asking?'' Sam asked.

'' No reason. I'm just curious.'' She said, her eyes finally shutting. A moment later her breathing was even, and she had slipped into a somewhat peaceful sleep. Sam never moved from where he sat, hoping to let her rest. She'd been taking care of him through all these roughs spots the last few days, so it was only right that he did the same for her to. So he let her be, his own head sliding against hers after awhile as he to slid into sleep.

 

\---

 

 It was a loud bang that woke the hunters from their slumber.

Ashley had practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of it, pulling away from the arm that was still draped over her shoulder. Sam had jumped as well, pulling his arm back as a door against the far wall opened to slam into the drywall. There was a girl standing there, and Sam immediately recognized her as the witch who'd cursed them when they'd first encountered her.

'' Hello there Sam. Long time no see.'' She said.

'' Who the hell are you?'' Sam demanded. '' You took my brother, where is he? Where is Dean?''

'' One question at a time. I swear, all you Winchesters are hard headed.'' She said. Sam glanced towards where Ashley was sitting, noticing her unease at the presence of the witch. '' My name is Miranda, and I do know where your brother is, but that's for another time.'' She said.

'' Where's my brother then? What did you do to Thomas?'' Ashley asked.

'' That boy. He's locked away with your little feathered friend. He must've used up all that power, he hasn't made a peep since you all arrived.'' Miranda said. '' I kept you two together for one reason only, and that is because of your use to me.'' She said.

'' Use?'' Ashley questioned.

'' Yes. My newest soldier hasn't been rather cooperative recently, so I've needed to search for another reason to make him do as I say. I couldn't force him to do that when the link I'd created was being used to heal what I was using to torture him. Now that you're in my hands, you can't be healed, so what ever happens happens. It can't be changed, and he'll suffer just as much as you.'' She said, directing it all towards Sam.

'' Then why is she here? Ashley has nothing to do with your plans.'' Sam said.

'' She will be one of my newest soldiers. I want to make her one of my generals.'' Miranda took a few steps into the room. '' With powers like her, she'd be unstoppable. I want her on my team, on my army to fight the Darkness.'' Miranda said.

'' I won't fight any battles for you.'' She said. '' And don't pull that crap about a soul link. If I was linked to Thomas then I'd be able to read his thoughts from here.'' She shot out.

'' I don't need to use that on you. There are easier methods for a person like you.'' She said. '' One being, an attack dog spell. A psychic's body would hold up better than anyone's body against this spell. You'd do exactly like I say like a good soldier.''

'' You wouldn't dare.'' She muttered.

'' I would.'' Miranda motioned to someone behind her, and a guard of sorts began to walk inside. Sam recognized him as the man who'd stepped out of that red car that had almost gotten them all killed.

'' Don't.'' Sam warned, moving in front of Ashley to place himself between her and the guard.

'' Take her.'' Miranda said.

'' Stay away.'' Sam said, moving to his feet while still keeping Ashley behind himself. The guard moved quickly, stepping up to Sam. He made a move to throw him aside, but Sam countered by punching the guard in the face. It was a solid hit to the jaw, which sent him sprawling to the floor. However, he got right back up with a barrage of his own punches. The two went at it for what seemed like a while, until something strange happened. The guard, just as he was about to reach for a choke hold, was thrown across the room. Sam wiped at his bleeding nose, looking over his shoulder to see Ashley's face scrunched in concentration while one of her hands was held out to the guard. She held him against the wall, her hold never faltering as she moved to stand.

'' You're right about one thing. I am pretty strong.'' Ashley said. Her other hand shot out, and Sam watched as Miranda was trapped in the hold just like the guard. '' But every day I grow stronger. This is what it means to be psychic.'' She said. '' I use my power for good, and what you've been doing is taking innocent people to kill for your own selfish means.'' Ashley's hand shot out to the side, and Miranda was sent flying across the room. She hit the wall with a loud thud, her back arching from the pain it caused. '' Sam. Get the door when I say.'' Ashley said, starting to walk across the floor towards where the door sat wide open still. Miranda only now saw her mistake, and regretted ever leaving the door open, or leaving these two without some bindings to keep them still. Ashley reached the door first, turning around to look into the room as Sam gripped the handle.

'' Bye now.'' Ashley's hands shot down to her side, the guard and Miranda falling with it. '' NOW!'' Sam threw the door shut, and locked it just as they reached it. They heard their fists connecting with the metal, and angry shouts from inside. They backed away slowly, hoping it would hold long enough for them to start a search for Cas, Thomas, and Dean.

'' Nice job.'' Sam congratulated.

'' I may not be able to work smaller things yet, but I can still hold my own with these power.'' Ashley said.

'' Then lets put that to use. We better go before they find a way out of there.'' Sam said.

'' Right.'' The two of them took off down the hall, both with one mindset. It was time to look for their missing family.


	14. Escape

Dean had known something had happened when it felt like his nose had been pounded into his face. He'd seen the images of his brother fighting someone, and he'd seen a figure that he'd grown use to seeing over the last few days. Miranda had been with Sam, but so was Ashley. He'd seen her in that image as well, she'd been sitting behind Sam. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew they had a fighting chance. Sam was rather strong, and with Ashley's psychic abilities they could easily trap the two. He could only hope that they'd managed that, because if not then there was trouble ahead.

He could hear some fast paced footsteps outside the door to his cell, followed by some muffled yelling. He wasn't able to catch much of what they were saying, but Dean was able to catch one word in particular.

'' Escape.''

Sam and Ashley must've managed to break free of their cell. If so, then they were searching for him. Those running people outside must be more guards heading their way. There was another shout from outside the door, and he was able to hear this one clearly.

'' Guard the door! They're not taking him away!'' Someone shouted. Dean looked towards the door, and saw two sets of feet standing just outside. He let a silent curse slip past his lips, knowing that they were going to have trouble. Ashley may be able to throw them off, and Sam may be able to hold his own, but with that many people against them they didn't stand a chance.

'' Sammy, you better know what you're doing.'' Dean mumbled.

 

\---

 

'' Get moving. Orders are to find the escaped Winchester! Go!'' Thomas glanced towards the door, watching as the two guards that had been at the door left. They'd been dumb enough to leave him free of any bonds. They hadn't done the same with Cas, who was trapped inside of a large angel sigil drawn on the floor. However, Thomas new something that the others didn't about Cas, so he was not worried about what would happen if he left him there. Thomas pushed off the floor, pulling the lock pick from his pocket. He was in the only cell that could actually be called a cell. It had the bars and everything like a prison would, but it was the only room like so. He was able to slip his arms through the bars, and stuck the pick inside the lock. A moment later there was a click as the door slid open. He slipped out, leaving the door ajar as he went. He then proceeded to run down the hall, the angel blade hidden inside his jacket as he ran. He'd overheard where they were keeping Dean, and knew that he had to get there first. If Sam and Ashley didn't make it first then someone had to free him.

 

\---

 

'' Stop Sam!'' Ashley yelled. The two stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway. Sam turned to face Ashley, confusion on his face.

'' What's the matter?'' Sam asked.

'' I sensed something.'' She said. Her face grew in confusion. '' I sensed...... ten people..... I think... They're heading our way!'' Ashley got out.

'' Are you sure?''

'' I wouldn't be able to sense them if there were any less.'' Ashley said. '' We've got to get out of here.''

'' Where ever here is. We still don't know how to get around this place.'' Sam said. '' Any ideas?''

'' Not really. Except we better start moving before they catch up to us.'' Ashley said. She started back down the hallway when Sam began to run again.

_Ashley, there are plenty of guards on the way, you must be careful._

**_'' Please, keep the talking down. I can't let on to what I've done.''_** Ashley spoke in her head. The male voice fell quiet again as she continued to follow Sam. She could only hope that her plan would work if all else failed. It had to.

Two guards turned the corner ahead of them. Sam made quick work of one of them by giving one strong swing to the jaw. Ashley took care of the second by slamming his head into the wall with her telekinesis. When the guards were out they proceeded to run.

'' Hold on Dean. We're coming.'' Ashley heard Sam say.

 

\---

 

Dean had heard Sam speak. He'd heard him say he was coming, but he knew there was no way that they'd reach him before those guards found them. There had to be at least ten if not twenty of them after his brother. If they were caught then they were toast.

'' Come on Sammy. Think this through first.'' Dean found himself mumbling, hoping he'd hear what he was saying to.

There was a loud crash from outside, and then a shadow to block out the light pouring in between the floor and the bottom of the door. There was a commotion, followed by yet another crash as something fell. Dean began to fight his bonds, pulling at the ropes again to see if maybe this time they would break. Just like all the other times, they didn't budge. They were going to hold him right where he sat, and there was no getting away this time. He heard the lock for the door click open, and the door began to slide open. Dean was expecting to see either another guard to take him away, or even his brother, but that wasn't what he saw.

Thomas was standing on the other side of that door, and he had Cas's angel blade in his hand.

'' Thomas?''

'' Glad I found you. I was starting to think they'd taken you out of this place.'' Thomas said, stepping over the now dead guard at the door. He ran over to Dean, falling to his knees beside the eldest Winchester. '' I overheard where they were holding you, so when I had a chance I broke out of my cell.'' Thomas manuevered around him, taking the angel blade to the ropes binding him. One by one they began to fall away until he was free. Dean rubbed at his raw wrists, circulation finally working its way back to his hands.

'' Do you know where Sam is?'' Dean asked.

'' No. I haven't seen him since the crash.... You.. already know about it, right?''

'' Yeah. I know.'' Dean said.

'' I don't know where he's being held, but I overheard that he and Ashley also broke out. There are more guards heading their way. We've got to find them.'' Thomas said.

'' We don't have weapons.'' Dean stated.

'' I've got this.'' Thomas said, holding up the angel blade. '' Plus, I grabbed these off of those guards.'' Thomas held up his other hand,which held two silver blades, and a gun. Dean took the gun, hoping it would do the job for this.

'' If those guards are heading their way, then we better find them.'' Dean said.

'' Right behind you.'' Thomas said. '' It would seem that both of our siblings tend to get in a lot of trouble.'' Thomas pointed out.

'' That's what younger siblings are for, but that's also why we're around.'' Dean said.

'' The older siblings to straighten them out.'' Thomas put in as they fled the cell, leaving the dead guards behind them.

'' Where are you Sammy?''

 

\---

 

  _Where are you Sammy?  
_

Sam stopped where he stood, eyes glancing around him. Had he heard that right?

'' Sam, what the hell are you doing? We've got to keep going. We can't stop now.'' Ashley said, using her telekinesis to slam another on coming guard into the wall. '' We've got to move.''

'' I thought I heard something.'' Sam said.

'' You said that before.'' She said. '' Was it Dean again?'' She asked.

'' Yes.'' Sam said. '' I'm sure of it, it was Dean.''

'' Maybe he's managed to get himself free or something. What ever is happening, we've got to keep moving. They're going to catch up to us soon.'' Ashley said. Sam realized this, and pushed the words he'd heard to the back of his mind. Whether Dean had managed to get free or not, he still had to find him. So they still had to keep searching.

'' Alright.'' They began to run again.

_We'll need to execute your plan soon Ashley. We don't have much time left before those guards catch up_

**_'' No, not yet. Not until it's our last option. We can't let on to what we've got planned, so stay silent.''_ **

_Understood._

Ashley shook her thoughts clear as they rounded a corner, and both hunters were caught off guard when they ran smack dab into a pack of ten guards. They all charged them when they came in sight. Two of them went straight for Sam, who immediately began to fight back. The others began to focus on Ashley as they muttered something that sounded like a spell. Ashley had to work fast if she wanted to keep from being hexed. She held out both of her hands, gripping two of the guards as she flung them back into the other guards standing behind them. While they tried to recover from the blow the other guards jumped in and began to grow closer to her. She used her power as much as she could, but a screech from behind her broke her concentration. When her concentration broke the guards were upon her.

They forced Ashley to the ground, pinning her hands to the floor while one of the guards sat on her back. She grunted in pain at the weight of the man, but no matter how hard she fought it she couldn't get him off. She heard a grunt of pain from across the hall. She glanced up  to find Sam laid out on his back, fresh blood on his face from a strong punch right to the nose. His head turned towards her, dazed eyes finding hers. The guards had managed to pin him just as easily as they'd pinned her.

'' And here I thought it would be harder to find the missing mice.'' A female voice spoke. Sam's eyes grew wide at the sound, and the shot to a figure standing behind Ashley that she couldn't see. '' You two are more trouble then you're worth.'' Miranda said.

'' Let us go!'' Ashley yelled.

'' Oh that's not happening any time soon.'' Miranda said. '' You broke free, killed my guards, and now my other charge is missing. I can't believe how much trouble you Winchesters are. I can't believe I ever thought you'd be exactly what I needed, but now you are nothing but a threat. I should just kill you now, two birds with one stone.''

'' Don't you dare.'' Ashley seethed. '' Don't touch him.''

'' I can do what I want. I can kill him, which will kill his brother, and then I can take you as my own guard dog. All it takes is one small hex bag.'' Miranda said. '' And it would be so easy to.''

'' Don't touch her.'' Sam seethed. '' She doesn't deserve this. Let her go.'' Sam said.

'' What is it with you two?'' She asked. '' You're both begging for each others lives like you're siblings, but you aren't even related. I just don't get it.'' Miranda said.

'' You wouldn't understand.'' Ashley said.

'' You could say that they're extended family.'' Sam said. '' We've known each other for years, and we've always been there for the other. That's not ending now.''

'' Well, I'm going to end it.'' Miranda said. She nodded to one of the guards on top of Sam, and they began to move.

'' Stop.'' Ashley said. The guards pulled Sam to his feet. He tried to fight them off, but they held his still, one guard on each arm. '' Don't.'' Miranda pulled a knife from her pocket, and began to walk forward to him. '' Get away from him!'' Ashley fought against the hold on her, desperate to get at least one hand free to hold her back. '' Stop!''

'' Shut her up.'' Miranda said. Ashley felt something slip between her teeth, pulling her cheeks back. They'd gagged her. She watched in frustration, and in fear as Miranda neared Sam. She saw her hold the knife up, and Ashley let a strangled scream pass her lips.

Until a gunshot sounded behind her, and the guard sitting on her back fell away.


	15. Shot

The guard on her back fell away, and Ashley didn't waste a second in throwing her hands up. In less than seconds the guards were off of Sam, and Miranda was held against the far wall.

'' Get away from them!'' Someone shouted. Both hunters froze. They knew that voice. Ashley saw Sam turn, and his eyes went wide.

'' Dean.''

'' Sammy.'' Dean was there. He was standing only a few feet before him. They'd found him. Before either of them realized it they were walking towards each other. Dean shoved the gun he had inside his belt before his arms wrapped around his brothers frame. Sam followed suit, ignoring the stare they got from Thomas. It had felt like forever since they'd seen each other. This was something they both needed.

'' God, it's good to see you.'' Dean said.

'' Dean, how did you-''

'' Thomas! Give me the angel blade!'' Ashley shouted. Thomas threw the blade towards her, and she caught it in an open hand.

'' What are you doing?'' Sam asked.

'' It was her plan, not mine.'' Thomas said. '' Just wait.'' The guards saw her with the blade, and they all began to run towards her. Ashley turned to face them, and she spoke one word.

'' Yes.''

There was a flash in her eyes. They glowed with a bright light as energy began to pour from her body. Light was emanating from all over her body, and that's when they saw a shadow of wings stretching across the room. They were broken, torn apart from the fall, but they were stretched out to prove that they meant business.

'' You've got to be kidding me.'' Dean mumbled more in awe than anger.

'' Did she?....''

 

\---

 

_'' What is it that you need to talk about?'' Cas asked, turning back to face Ashley and Thomas._

_'' I want to have a plan if something happens while we're going to Topshan.'' Ashley stated. '' We know that when those witches find out we're coming, they're going to come after us. They won't stop until we're either dead or in their hands.''_

_'' What does that have to do with it?''_

_'' They've seen your face.'' Ashley reminded. '' When they shot Sam, they saw you. They will know who you are, and what. They won't let you within a foot of either Sam or Dean.''_

_'' Ashley, what are you suggesting?''_

_'' Use me.'' She said._

_'' Ashley are you nuts?'' Thomas demanded._

_'' A little. If you use my body, they'll never know its you inside of me. You can stay hidden deep down, and I can hide you with my power. It may be the only way for us to get out, or for us to get to Dean.... Cas, we have to try.''_

_'' I don't think that's as good of an idea as you think.'' Cas said. '' If your body can't handle holding me, then you'll explode. I can't count the many times that I've seen a vessel explode because they can't handle holding the angel.''_

_'' We have to try Cas. If not, then there may be no way that we can change them back.'' Ashley said. '' We have to try, so please, do it.''_

_( Time skip)_

_Cas jumped in front of Ashley and Sam as the hex bag flew at them._

_'' Ashley, you better be ready for this!'' Cas warned._

_'' I am.'' She answered. There was a bright flash of light, and soon the light was flying at her. Ashley could only watch as it entered through her mouth, and then she was pulled into a dream like state. She was only there for a moment or so, but when she resurfaced from it she was laid out on the road beside Sam who was unconscious. Cas was on the other side of him, his vessel basically dead, but they didn't know that. It would seem her plan worked, because when they grabbed her and Sam, they never separated them._

 

_\---_

 

'' Ashley knew they would make sure that Cas couldn't get to either of you, so she let him posses her.'' Thomas said.

'' So that was why she asked me what I thought happened to Cas. She must've thought that I'd seen.'' Sam mumbled.

'' Well you clearly didn't.'' Dean mumbled, watching as the light faded. The guards were watching Ashley in awe, or should they say Cas. When the light faded, they all seemed to realize that they still had a task to get them back into their cells. Miranda seethed from where she stood against the wall. Ashley's telekinesis wasn't holding her anymore.

'' What the hell are you waiting for!'' She yelled. '' Kill her!''

The guards began to pursue Cas, all of them ganging up for the attack. 

'' Go.'' Cas said, turning back to face them for a second. '' I'll hold them off here. You go.'' Cas turned back to his pursuers, and began to attack.

'' Come on let's go.'' Dean said.

'' We can't just leave him. He's in my sister.'' Thomas said.

'' She chose to do this. So let her do it.'' Dean said. '' We've got to go.''

'' Dean's right Thomas.'' Sam said. '' Cas knows what he's doing. He won't let them lay a hand on Ashley.'' Sam said. That seemed to get through to Thomas, and the brothers had him running down the hall again. Cas saw them turn down the hall, then turned his own attention back to the fight at hand.

'' You'll never be able to protect them.'' Miranda said. '' There are more witches here than myself. They'll tear those boys apart.''

'' That's not going to happen.'' Cas said. '' You have no idea who you're dealing with.''

'' I think I know what I'm dealing with just fine.'' Miranda said. '' A couple of boys who are way in over their heads.''

'' No. You're dealing with some of the strongest hunters I've ever met.'' Cas said, rushing forward to attack her.

 

\---

 

'' Maybe we were mistaken.'' Dean mumbled.

'' You think?'' They'd ran like Cas had told them to, and they'd run right into what appeared to be a waiting mob. Guards, as well as two witches stood there at the end of the hall waiting for them.

'' So, uh... You guys got any weapons?'' Sam asked.

'' Here.'' Dean pulled out the knife he'd taken from the guards that had been standing just outside the door. He handed it over to Sam, who took it. '' You're going to need it.''

'' That's your target.'' One of the witches said. '' Get them!'' The guards where running at them before they knew it. All three of them took fighting stances, awaiting the guards arrival. When they were close enough, they began their attack. Dean shot as many of them as he could, taking them out when they either got to close to himself, or to Sam. Thomas and Sam meanwhile cut down as many of them as they could, taking them out one after the other with their knives. Dean felt something fly past his face, cutting into his cheek to leave a shallow gash behind. A drop of blood slid down his skin, and when he glanced over his shoulder at Sam he had the same cut on his own cheek. Dean glanced up to where the thing came from, and found one of the witches with three small daggers in her hand. She tossed one in the air before catching it, and flinging it towards the brothers. Dean avoided this one, but the dagger took a turn, curving to cut into his brothers upper arm. He felt the same cut in his skin, but again it wasn't too deep. The other witch began to chant something under her breath, and then lightning began to form in her hands.

'' That's not good.'' Thomas said.

'' Get down!'' Dean shouted. He dove for the floor, taking Thomas down with him. Sam saw his brother dive for the floor, and went to dive down himself. He didn't make it before the lightning made it to the floor. It singed his side, burning right through his shirt, and getting to his skin underneath. It burned like hell, making his skin feel like it was melting. While he curled in on his side, he felt someone come up behind him, landing a hard hit against the burning skin. Sam cried out in pain, lashing out with the knife to get to the person who'd hit him.

'' Sammy.'' Dean felt the burning pain in his side to, and was searching desperately for where Sam was. He couldn't see his brother. There were to many guards in front of him, they were blocking his view of where his brother was at. Dean began to panic, realizing that there was no way he could get to Sam at the moment.

'' Get them! Kill them! Miranda wants them DEAD!'' One of the witches screeched. Dean tried to push himself up, but the pain in his side grew more. It felt like his skin was melting away, and there was no holding back a groan if it hadn't been a scream at first. Dean heard a second scream from ahead of him, and there was no mistaking it as Sam's scream. He glanced up, and realized that he could see Sam now. One of the witches was at his side, lightning still licking at his side in blue tendrils. Sam's eyes opened for a moment, and they met with Dean's. All he saw inside of them was pain and fear. Dean wanted to take all that away from Sam, but he couldn't do that from here.

'' Thomas.'' Dean shouted. '' Get Sam!'' Thomas's eyes flew up to where Sam was pinned to the floor, and he immediately understood what was going on. He ran from Dean's side, going straight for the witch that had Sam pinned. He got maybe half way before something drove into his side, and he was forced to the floor while the person pinned him. Dean began to crawl across the floor, pulling the gun up to shoot the witch. he aimed, and was ready to fire, but one of the guards feet kicked at his hand which sent the gun flying across the hall. Pain fired up his hand, telling him something was broken. The guard pulled his own gun on them, placing it at Dean's temple.

'' I wouldn't move if I were you.'' He seethed.

'' Let my brother go!'' Dean yelled. The witches looked up to him, but quickly disregarded him for the younger Winchester.

'' It won't matter which one we kill, they'll both die anyway.'' One of them said.

'' We've already got one of them here. Make sure he doesn't move.'' The other said. Dean tried to fight the hold again, but a knee set itself in the middle of his back. He wasn't going anywhere, and neither was Sam.

'' Since you won't join us, you'll both die.'' The witch took a knife from her waist, and held it to Sam's chest.

'' Stop! Don't hurt him!'' Dean yelled. Dean saw the witch hold up the knife, and she brought it down into Sam's stomach. The scream that followed was deafening from both Winchesters.

The witch pulled the knife from his stomach, and brought it down a second time. Sam felt the blood spill over his stomach, and he quickly realized that it was becoming hard to breath. His eyes searched around for his brother, searching for Dean. He found him after a moment, but Dean was in a similar situation. Their eyes met again, and this time they knew there was no getting away. They were going to die. The knife came down a third time, and Sam found blood filling his mouth as he gagged on it. He never felt the knife pull out this time. His eyes cracked open, and the blurry image of the witches standing over him showed that they were immobilized. One of them bore a face of both surprise, and anger as her eyes landed on something just out of his eye sight. The witch was gone from his sight when Thomas wrapped his arms around the closest one and threw her away from him. He did the same with the other, and went to pull out the knife before a loud voice shouted.

'' DONT! He'll bleed out if you do that!'' The voice was clearly Ashley's, but as far as he was concerned Castiel was still inside of her. '' Take care of them.'' She said.

Dean could see Ashley just fine from where he was sitting. He could see her slumped slightly in the arms of the angel Castiel. He must've retrieved his body after taking care of the guards, or at least throwing them off long enough to get to them. Dean knew that they could be saved now, but he even found it hard to keep himself awake. The more he breathed, moved, and did anything the more he found that it was becoming hard to do so. His vision blurred dangerously as he turned onto his side. He saw Cas through the blur, and he was running towards him. Ashley had run in the opposite direction towards where Sam was laying. Cas fell beside Dean, hands gripping his shoulders to pull him up. Blood slid out of the corner of his lips as he was brought to a sitting position, and his vision swam with black and white spots as he threatened to pass out.

'' Stay awake Dean. Don't pass out on me.'' Cas said. '' I'm going to fix this, but I need to move you.'' Cas warned. Dean didn't respond, his head falling back as his eyes went black. He couldn't see anything, but he could still feel. He felt Cas's hands work under his arms, and they began to drag him across the room to where his brother lay. He laid him back against the ground, and that's when he noticed the raspy breathing beside him. He tilted his head to the right, and through the blur and spotted image of his vision he saw Sam. He was looking back to him, blood slipping from the corner of his mouth, and eyes glazed over.

'' S'mmy...'' Dean could barely speak, and e knew that Sam couldn't either. He only nodded in response.

'' They're going to die. Please, Cas, do something.'' Ashley begged from where she sat at Sam's side.

'' They need to be touching.'' Cas said. '' They must be in contact like when the spell was cast. Only then can it be reversed.'' He explained. Dean got the memo right away, and his hand reached across the floor to find Sam's. It took mere seconds, and then his brothers hand was in his own. There was no grip to it, but then again their was no grip to his own either. If Cas didn't do this now then they were dead men. Cas must've taken it as his cue, because he reached forward, and laid one hand on each of their heads. There was a bright light that blinded them all, and then both brothers were plunged into darkness.

 

\---

 

Miranda was furious. That bitch of a psychic had managed to double cross her, and destroy her whole organization. All of her guards were dead, and she would've been dead to had she not cast a spell to keep her alive. The gun sat awkwardly in her hand, being as she'd never used one since she was still a normal human. She trotted down the hall as fast as she could, and soon came to where she'd left the other witches to take them out. What she found was the last of her army dead, as well as the group of hunters that she'd taken. They were all huddled around two forms laid out on the floor, and she didn't even have to look to know who they were. It was the Winchesters.

She believed that victory was hers, but then she saw the angel give off a glorious light when he touched them. They weren't dead. He was reversing her spell. She would take her revenge. Only one of them had ticked her off enough to warrant her actions, but she didn't care. Take one life, and let the other suffer.

 

\---

 

The light vanished from their sights, and the angel and set of siblings watched on for any signs of life from the still unconscious Winchesters.

'' I believe I've managed to untangle their souls. I was able to heal their wounds in the process. It's now a matter of time. Whether they'll wake up or not.'' Cas said.

'' They have to wake up.'' Ashley said. '' They can't die.''

They watched for what felt like hours, maybe even years, waiting for either brother to open their eyes. Cas began to worry, believing that he hadn't been fast enough. He believed that he hadn't been able to save them after all, and all he'd done was untangle the souls of two now dead men. Minutes passed, and when all of them had lost the hope of them waking up, Dean stirred.

It was a small movement at first, just his eyes scrunching inwards. This was followed by a groan, and then his eyes began to open. They were bleary at first, but when they were fully open they cleared, and landed on the three people sitting around him. Cas forgot all that he'd thought before, realizing that he'd been just in time. It wasn't even a few seconds later before Sam was starting to wake as well. When his eyes opened, one of his hands came up to feel at his stomach where the stab marks had been before.

'' We're healed.'' Sam mumbled through a hoarse voice.

'' What the hell happened?'' Dean mumbled. '' It feels like I've been through the ringer and back.''

'' Cas managed to undo the spell.'' Ashley said. '' You two are no longer bound together.''

'' Are you sure?'' Dean asked, pushing himself up from the floor. He got into a sitting position, Sam doing the same beside him.

'' I'm positive. Your souls are no longer linked.'' Cas said.

'' Great. Now lets get the hell out of here. I swear, no more witches.'' Dean said.

'' I won't argue with that.'' Sam said. Cas and Ashley helped to get the brothers standing again, and they were about to turn when they heard the click of a gun. Dean and Sam looked over to the doorway of the room they'd stumbled into, and saw Miranda there with her hand over an angel warding sigil. She slammed her palm down onto it, and a second later Cas was gone in a flash.

'' Cas!'' Dean yelled.

'' Now there's no one left to save you.'' She said. '' YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!'' Miranda trained the gun on Dean at first, but then remembered that she wanted him to suffer. There was no suffering if he died. So then her gun trailed towards Sam, and locked onto him.

'' No DONT!''

Shots fired, and no one could move fast enough before the bullet pierced a body. However, it wasn't Sam's. Sam watched in shock, wide eyed as his brother fell to his knees before him, two gun shot wounds in his stomach.

'' DEAN!!!!''


	16. Heart and Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's the end. I hope you've enjoyed this story, and there will be more stories to come if you ever want to read more. I have plenty of posted stories to my page if you want to read.

Ba-dump.......... Ba-dump.

'' YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!''

Ba-dump....... Ba-dump.

Shots were fired.

Ba-dump ba-dump ba-dump.

Pain.

'' DEAN!''

Sam could only watch in horror as his brother fell to his knees, two gunshot wounds present in his stomach as he sank to the floor. He to fell beside Dean, a hand coming to protect his head from cracking off the floor when he fell back.

Dean looked up to Sam, and found the fear that was present in his brothers gaze. He wanted to assure Sam that he was going to be fine, buthe knew he wasn't OK. He was dying, and it was becoming harder to breath again. If he died now, than he could live with it only for the fact that Sam hadn't been harmed as well.

'' You shot him.'' Ashley murmured from across the room.

'' Its his own damn fault. Because he has to play hero and protect little brother.'' Miranda said. She lifted the gun again, pointing it at Sam. '' So who's there to protect him now?'' Miranda fired off another round which ran straight for Sam. Ashley watched in horror, her mind searching for the power to stop the bullet, but she could not lock onto it. There was nothing she could do. However, Miranda's aim was clearly off, because the shot wasn't for the kill. The bullet slammed into Sam's shoulder, but it wouldn't kill him. There was another click of a gun, and then two more shots fired off.

Miranda's body jerked with the force of the bullets, and then she fell. The witch was dead. Eyes followed from the body back to where the bullets came from. The bullet came from the gun that one of the guards had kicked away, and it was in Sam's hands. His eyes were wide, whether it was from pain, or anger they couldn't be sure. He lowered the gun with a huff, letting it drop from his hand.

'' No one shoots my brother.'' Sam said, head turning down to see him. Dean was looking up at him with glazed over eyes. There was blood slipping past his lips as he tried to speak. Sam quickly shushed him, looking for anything to stop the bleeding with. Ashley fell on the other side of Dean, her jacket already ripped off.

'' Here.'' She said. Sam took the item, and quickly pressed it over the gun shot wounds. Dean's back arched off the floor as he let out a gut wrenching scream. There was no missing the flinch from Sam at the sound of it. '' We've got to get him out of here. He's going to die.'' Ashley said.

'' I can't carry him.'' Sam said, a panicked tone entering his voice. He knew there was no picking his brother up when there was a bleeding bullet hole in his shoulder. Panic seized his heart, and Sam found that it was harder for him to take a full breath.

Dean is dying. He could die. It was running through his head.

'' Thomas, try to find a way out of here!'' Ashley yelled. Fading footsteps was the only answer they got from him.

'' Hang on Dean... You gotta hang in there for us.'' Sam begged. Dean's eyes cracked open again to look up to his brother. They were glazed over, but they were also filled with determination.

Dean was fighting as hard as he could. He was barley breathing as it was, and he knew that there wasn't much time left. He lifted a blood covered hand, which was shaking as he set it on his brothers shoulder. Sam jolted at the touch watching for any signs of him getting up. Nothing happened. Dean's eyes began to shut, and his hand slipped from Sam's shoulder. The path his hand took left a trail of blood on Sam's clothing. It was his bothers blood. The blood of his dying brother.

'' No, Dean, wake up.'' Dean's eyes slid closed, and they wouldn't open again.

'' Dean..... No, WAKE UP DEAN!!!!!!!!''

 

\---

 

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Sam sat motionless beside the hospital bed, eyes never leaving the still form laying before him.

Dean had gotten out of surgery only an hour ago, around the same time that Sam had been released from having some work done on his shoulder. Ashley and Thomas had told him everything the doctors had told them when Dean had come off the table, and the outlook was grim.

Dean had massive internal damage. The first bullet had pierced his stomach, while the other had nicked the edge of his left lung. His lung had collapsed on him while on the table, and the doctors had to take drastic measures to keep him from going under. Now here he lay, stitched up, torso covered in gauze, and  a breathing tube down his throat. The doctors had told Sam that they didn't believe that Dean would be waking up again, but Sam refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Dean would die. He was a fighter, he could pull through.

'' Dean... I.'' Sam felt the words stick in his throat, his eyes glancing up to the heart monitor.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

'' Dean, you can't leave us.'' Sam mumbled. He reached up with his left hand, running it over his face. The other was currently trapped in a sling until his shoulder healed from the gun shot wound. '' You can't die.... If you do... I might do something stupid again, like before.'' Sam's throat began to close up on him, and his hand shot out towards the bed. His hand wrapped around Dean's, the limp appendage resting in his own.

'' Please, don't leave me.'' Sam begged. A single tear slipped out of his eyes, and then he broke down. He rested his head on the edge of the hospital bed, hiding his face from anyone who may see him, and he let out all the emotion he'd kept bottled up since his brother had gone missing almost a week before. He'd lost his brother, then he'd found him, and now he was about to loose him again. He couldn't handle it. He gripped Dean's hand as tight as he could in his own, and sobbed into the mattress. He couldn't loose him again. He would make a mistake like all the other times that he'd lost him. He'd screw up, probably get himself killed, or someone else that he cared for.

'' Please Dean.... Don't go.'' Sam sobbed.

 

\---

 

A week had passed since his brother had been stabbed, and Dean was still fighting.

The doctors had been able to pull the breathing tube, replacing it with an oxygen mask. His wounds were beginning to heal nicely, the bullet holes as well as the incisions the doctors had made during surgery were healing.

'' He may be able to pull through, but there is still no guarantee that he will wake up anytime soon.'' The doctors had told Sam. That was all he had to hear to know that there was hope.

In Sam's case, he'd been able to ditch the sling at this point. His shoulder only hurt when he tried to turn it in a circle, which the doctors said was normal for such a wound as his own. They said with some good stretches and exercise that it will be back to normal within a few weeks, but Sam didn't care about that. What he cared about was the fact that Dean could pull through now. If he could breath on his own, then there was a great chance that he'd wake up.

By now Ashley and Thomas had left for their home, but to help the brothers out Thomas had made some calls to a few friends. He'd managed to get them to pick up the impala from the junk yard it had been taken to, and they were attempting to fix it up enough so when Dean woke up he could finish the job. Sam couldn't thank them enough for it, but all they said was to make sure Dean could wake up to finish the job. They'd been keeping tabs, calling every once in awhile to see how he was doing, and Sam was thankful for it because he was all alone in this now. Their dad wasn't around to keep him company like the last time he'd been in a situation like this, so he was on his own.

Sam walked into Dean's room for the first time that day. The hospital didn't allow him to stay in the hospital, so he had to rent a room at the local motel. He rarely stayed there though. He was always at the hospital during the day, and then when visiting hours were over he'd head back to the motel to get some rest. He could see his brother laying on the bed, arm hooked up to an IV for some fluids, and the oxygen mask still present on his face. He took a few steps towards the bed, finding the chair that was still set beside the bed. He took a seat, setting the cup of coffee he'd grabbed from the hospitals cafeteria on the bedside table. He pulled the chair closer to the bed, watching his brother taking his own breaths for the first time in a few days.

'' The doctors told me that you can pull through Dean.'' Sam said. '' It's only a matter of time. They said it will take awhile, but I think you can prove them wrong. So why don't you do that.'' He added. Like all the other times he's talked to his brother, he never received a response. So he took another swallow off his coffee, the bitterness of it making him start to regret ever buying it. They hadn't had much in the way of sugar when he'd bought it, so it was straight up. Sam set it aside, planning to finish it later. He began to move around in the chair to get more comfortable, but the movement jostled his shoulder. He winced at the pain, a hand coming up to rest on it as he heard some quiet footsteps enter the room.

'' Oh, I didn't know that Mr. Reiman had visitors right now.'' The nurse mumbled, setting the fresh bed sheets down on the other free chair. '' Should I come back later?'' She asked.

'' No, it's fine.'' Sam said, rubbing at his shoulder. '' I just wanted to see my brother.''

'' So you're the one who came in with him?'' She asked.

'' Yeah.''

'' I heard what happened. You boys got mugged, I'm sorry for what happened to you both.'' The nurse took notice of Sam's hand rubbing over his shoulder. '' I heard you were the one who got shot in the shoulder. Would you like me to get you some pain killers for it?'' She asked.

'' It's fine.'' Sam assured her. '' It's just a little sore. The doctors said it was normal for the type of injury.''

'' Very well then.'' The nurse picked up the fresh blankets and began to walk over to the bed.

'' This will only take me a moment, I'll be in and out.'' Just like the nurse had said, she hadn't taken long. She replaced the blankets draped over Dean's still form, replaced his IV bag, and took a check on his vitals. The look of surprise on her face told Sam that things were looking better than she thought they should considering what had happened. The nurse turned to leave the room, but stopped about half way.

'' Oh my. It would appear that you have another visitor.'' The nurse said.

Another visitor?

Sam stood from the chair that he'd been sitting in, walking towards the door as the nurse ducked out. Sam had been a little surprised to see the man standing before him.

'' Cas.''

He remembered Miranda casting Castiel away back at the compound they'd been trapped in. The angel warding sigil sending him god knows where. Then there had been no word from him since then. Cas had been off the radar, until now at least.

'' What the hell happened to you?'' Sam asked.

'' I was thrown to the other side of the planet.'' Cas said. '' It took awhile, but I managed to get a flight back here.'' Cas looked over Sam's shoulder. '' How is he?''

'' He's fighting.'' Sam said. '' They pulled the breathing tube earlier this morning. They told me he may wake up, but they don't know when that is.'' Sam explained.

'' I could've prevented this.'' Cas said. '' If I hadn't been careless, maybe he wouldn't be dying.''

'' He's not dying.'' Sam said. '' They doctors said he may pull through, so he's got to pull through.'' Something dawned on Sam as he glanced back towards the bed. '' Cas, is there any way that you could-''

'' I'm sorry Sam, but my grace hasn't replenished since I fixed the spell that witch cast on you both. It will be a few more days till I can heal again.'' Cas said.

'' Dammit.'' Sam cursed. He had hoped that maybe Cas could've healed Dean the rest of the way, but what he'd just been told threw that plan out the window. '' Well then, we'll just have to wait.'' Sam said, walking back over toward the bed. Cas followed him, finding an extra chair to pull up to the bed. They each sat on either side of the bed, watching over the unconscious Winchester. They stayed like that for hours, neither one of them moving.

 

\---

 

The first thing he noticed when he came to was the cold air flowing over his face. Something was pressed into his face, bringing in fresh oxygen for him to breath.

Dean attempted to open his eyes, but found that they were heavy and uncooperative. They just wouldn't work with him. Dean gave up in the end, instead relying on his other senses as they began to come back. Sound came back first. He could hear the beeping of his heart monitor, which was rather annoying. There was the sound of quiet conversation just outside the room he was in, but the voices were ones that he didn't recognize. Then there was the sound of what appeared to be soft snores. He couldn't be sure, but the snores almost sounded like they belonged to Sam.

Feeling was the next thing to come back. He felt the IV needle in the crook of his arm, the scratchy blanket that was laid over him, and he could feel something gripping his hand. Dean fought to open his eyes again, wanting to see what was gripping his hand. He was able to crack them open after a moment or so of effort, and through the blur of his vision he could make out a lump on the edge of the bed he was laying on. He blinked a few times in an attempt to clear his vision, and when it was clear he found the image of his brother bent over the side of the bed. One of his arms was thrown off the bed, which he had to guess was the one that had been shot. His left arm was under his head, his hand gripping onto his own. Sam's head was turned towards Dean, and he could tell just by looking that Sam was deep in sleep.

Dean fought to move his hand enough to pull it out of Sam's, but his arm wouldn't cooperate. He must've been on the good stuff, because his entire body felt sluggish and numb. He pulled a few times as much as he was willing to without waking Sam. A moment passed, and then his arm came free. Sam didn't stir, so Dean called it a win in his book. He reached out with a hand, trying to pay attention to where he was moving. He laid his hand on top of Sam's head, his fingers tangling in the mess of brown curls. He didn't dare to move his hand, but that didn't stop the motion from causing his brother to stir. Sam's head shifted under his hand, and a soft moan came out. Dean saw his face scrunch up for a second, and then his eyes cracked open. The two made eye contact for maybe a second before Sam's eyes were wide.

'' Dean!?'' Sam shot up off the bed, eyes never leaving his brothers form as Dean fought to sit up. Sam reached out, placing a hand on his brother shoulder to stop him. '' Don't do that Dean. You're still healing.'' Sam warned. Dean tried to speak, but found that his voice wouldn't come. His throat felt raw, and scratchy from miss use. His hand came up to rub at his neck, and Sam took this as an indication to what was wrong. He turned to the bedside table where a pitcher of water sat. He poured a cup, and held it out for Dean. At first Dean tried to take it, but almost spilled the entire content on his front. So Dean settled for letting Sam hold the cup to his lips while he drank some. The water felt cold running down his throat, and helped with the scratchy feeling. When Sam pulled the cup away he tried to speak again.

'' Sam...... What happened?'' Dean asked.

'' Don't you remember?'' Dean shook his head. '' You were shot Dean.... You were shot twice, the bullets ripping through your stomach and lung.'' Sam shuddered at the memory of what the doctor had told him that day. '' You almost didn't come off the table.'' Dean realized what his brother was saying. He'd almost died. He had been dying, and could've left his brother alone. Dean felt guilty alone for that, but he didn't know how long Sam had thought that he was going to die.

'' How long?'' Dean asked. Sam understood what he meant by that.

'' A week, and two days.'' Sam said. '' It was only yesterday that they pulled the breathing tube.'' That explained the scratchy throat. Dean remembered that Ashley and Thomas had been with them before he'd blacked out, and he could remember that Cas had been with them right before he'd been banished from the building.

'' Where's Ashley,... and Cas?'' Dean asked.

'' Cas went to get coffee. He said it looked like I needed some.'' Sam said. '' Ashley and Thomas went home. They've been calling every day to see if you are OK.'' He explained. '' I'll have to give them a call to tell them you woke up.''

'' Sammy.'' Dean mumbled.

'' Yeah.'' Dean had his full attention.

'' Sorry.'' He said.

'' Sorry for what?'' Sam asked.

'' Making you worried.'' Dean said. His eyes wanted to shut, but he refused to let them. This wasn't like before. This wasn't a darkness that he didn't know whether he could wake up from it or not. This was the darkness that beckoned for a good nights rest, sleep that his body desperately needed to heal properly. '' Made you upset.... You were scared.'' Dean said.

'' Well, you're not wrong.'' Sam said. '' But you're OK now, that's what matters Dean. You're going to be just fine.''

'' So will you.'' Dean said, motioning to Sam's right arm. It would seem that his brothers arm was back in a sling again. '' Sammy, is she dead?'' Dean asked.

'' You mean Miranda?'' Sam asked. Dean nodded in response. '' She's dead. I shot her myself.''

'' Good.'' Dean mumbled. His eyes slid shut again, but this time Sam didn't try to force him to keep them open. This was just sleep he was sliding into, not death. '' I hate witches.'' Dean whispered.

'' Me to Dean.'' Dean smiled at that, and felt sleep claim him again. That didn't stop him from hearing the last part of what Sam said.

'' Thanks for not leaving me Dean.''

_I'm not going anywhere Sammy._

**Author's Note:**

> I know the first chapter may be short, but I didn't want to give the whole thing away. There will be more to come soon. I hope that you'll like this story.


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